


dripping like a saturated sunrise

by Seito



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fix-It, Fluff, Gen, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Isshu-chihou | Unova, Kalos-chihou | Kalos, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Temporary Character Death, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-06-13 17:16:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 47,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15369429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seito/pseuds/Seito
Summary: Where had it gone wrong?His heart stuttered a beat. “Ash? Are you alright?” Silence. No… something was wrong. “Ash...?” Alain asked again, shaking him. The younger boy’s eyes remained closed, not a single breath drawn.-.-.-Lumiose City is burning. Lysandre and Team Flare's plan is succeeding. Alain is... had... failed.When offer the chance to undo it, to go back in time, Alain seizes it with both hands. He won't, can't, fail this time.(But Alain's greatest fatal flaw is his own guilt.)Time Travel AU





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Warning:** Temporary Character Death (don't worry, time travel fixes it)
> 
> Inspired by [carvings](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8746906) by [reminiscence](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reminiscence/pseuds/reminiscence)

Where had it gone wrong? Alain stared out over the city as red vines sprouted out from the ground, destroying buildings. The Director was talking, speaking, preaching about how this would bring the world to peace. But the words were fuzzy, falling on deaf ears. 

He gasped, trying to breathe, to fight against the rock that had lodged itself in his throat. 

“Alain, this is all thanks to you. We used the Mega Evolution energy to control Zygarde. The Mega Evolution energy you kept on collecting is proving very useful for the destruction of the world.”

It was like a waterfall of cold water was dumped on him, sending chills up and down his spine. A low pitched whine rumbled in his throat. This… was because of him? All of this? 

The destruction of the city he called home? The destruction of the world? He clenched his fist so hard, the sharp bite of his nails digging into his skin through his gloves didn’t wake him from this nightmare that was continuing to unfold from him. 

His knees gave up, and he collapsed, breathing harshly as he peered over the tower’s edge. Beads of sweat ran down his face. No… No… Alain slammed his fist into the ground. “Mairin... Chespin… What I was…. What as I fighting for?!!” Rage and disgust warred inside of him, twisting and wrapping, suffocating him. 

Where had it gone wrong? What had the last two years been about? All he had ever wanted was to protect the people he loved. How… why… what….

“Helping Chespie and helping Mairin… that pure wish of yours is truly noble.”

Lies. All lies! Alain didn’t want to hear that from… from… him! This was noble? This madness? Destruction?! 

“Alain! ALAIN!” 

He didn’t want to hear it! 

“--I want to possess that power as well.” 

The screams broke Alain out of his stupor and he twirled around just in time to see the glowing red Mega Evolution energy hit Ash and his Greninja. 

“No!” Alain shouted. “Stop it!” Not Ash too. He failed Mairin, he failed Chespie, he failed Professor Sycamore. He didn’t want to add Ash to that list. 

( _‘But wasn’t Ash already on the list?’_ his mind whispered darkly. Hadn’t Alain already betrayed him? Ash was only hurting now because Alain had stood by and done nothing-!) 

The intensity of the beams only increased further. Alain watched horror as Ash screamed louder. His legs felt like lead, frozen to the ground. Charizard’s pokeball rumbled on his belt and Alain gripped it, ready to release his friend. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” the Director- no Lysandre asked. 

Alain quelled, trembling but another scream from Ash jolted him out of it. “Stopping you,” he said harshly. “Charizard! Free Ash and his Pokemon!” 

Charizard materialized with a loud roar. A swift strike of Dragon Claw shattered the cuffs. Alain followed his friend up, catching Ash as he fell. 

His heart stuttered a beat. “Ash? Are you alright?” Silence. No… something was wrong. “Ash...?” Alain asked again, shaking him. The younger boy’s eyes remained closed, not a single breath drawn. 

Pikachu jumped between Alain and Ash, onto Ash’s chest, calling out frantically. “Pikapi!” His cheeks sparkled, pumping a Thunderbolt into Ash. 

Alain’s heart sunk as there was no response. No. Arceus, please no. He didn’t move fast enough. “No, no, no. Ash! Wake up!” Alain shouted, gripping Ash’s shoulders tight. 

Still no response. 

“Oh? Was the Mega Evolution energy too much? I supposed if it worked on a legendary like Zygarde, it would be too much for a frail human to withstand,” Lysandre said. 

“You- you,” Alain said, voice trembling. A fire as hot as Charizard’s flames roared in his heart, screaming to the heavens above. 

And then everything shattered. 

-.-.-.-

White. 

Everlasting white, stretching as far as the eyes could see. Alain floated, no sense of direction of up or down, left or right. 

What happened to Ash? To Lysandre? 

Where was he? 

_‘The Chosen One is dead.’_

Alain twirled around and came face to face to Arceus. He gulped, suddenly aware he was in the presence of the creator of their world. Arceus towered over him, larger than any legend could have described. 

_‘You are an acceptable substitute.’_

“W-what?” Alain asked. 

_‘This timeline cannot continue,’_ Arceus said. _‘Without the Chosen One, the world is doomed.’_

There was a green spark and a Celebi materialized. It chirped, floating around Alain. 

Alain weakly waved hello at Celebi. “Chosen One?” he asked. What was Arceus talking about? 

_‘Will you travel back in time to prevent this?’_ Arceus asked. 

Alain’s heart skipped a beat. Time travel? He could prevent this? All this madness? All this destruction? Yes, anything to stop this madness. 

“Yes,” Alain answered without any hesitation. 

_‘Very well,’_ Arceus said. 

Celebi twirled once more, summoning a green portal and Alain fell. 

The world swirled green and he was falling… falling… falling…

Until he fell out of bed with a thud. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might as well strike while the iron is hot. Don't expect updates this fast in the future, but until I run out of steam, I'll be churning them out as I can.

'Thud!'

Alain scrambled upright, hitting the ground, trying to get his bearings. How far back-? He blinked, seeing soft blue walls. There was something… familiar… His breath hitched as he spotted a plush Gible sitting on the desk, its nose charred black.

" _Charmander! This is my room!"_

_"Char!" (Neat!) Charmander said with a curious gleam. He wandered into the room, looking around. Eventually his eyes landed on the soft plush sitting on the bed, reaching for it, only to let out a cross of a cough and a hiccup and a burst of fire came out of his mouth, setting the soft plush on fire._

" _Mander!" (Oh no!)_

" _Ah!" Alain rushed across the room, putting off with his lab coat, snuffing out the flames._

_Charmander curled his tail around him, looking down at the ground shamefully._

_Alain laughed, petting Charmander on the head. "It's okay. No harm done. We'll work on getting that ember under control."_

Alain picked it up gently, afraid it was going to fall apart in his hands. This Gible plush one of the first toys Professor Sycamore had given him back when he had brought Alain to the lab.

This… was his room.

That his orange jacket hanging in the closet. Notes with his handwriting, scattered across the rest of his desk. His red leather research journal Sophie had gotten for his birthday. The set of color pencils from Cosette.

His eyes went wide as he found his desk calendar. The date… the date was three days before he left on his journey, over two and a half years ago.

Alain sank down on his bedside. He found a picture of Professor Sycamore, Garchomp, him and Charmander sitting by his table bedside, tenderly reaching it. His throat constricted tight, choking as his thoughts murmured and mumbled in his head, swimming and swirling together.

He was  _home_.

Two and a half years ago… two and a half years ago right before he had met Lysandre, before he had foolishly joined Team Flare. He hadn't been just sent back to stop the attack on Lumiose City. He had been sent back before everything happened.

He was  _ **home**_.

By Arceus, what had he done to deserve this?

There was a knock to his door before Professor Sycamore peeked his head inside. "Alain. Time to get up- Alain?!"

Professor Sycamore rushed into his room, concern written all over his face and Alain felt his heart ache. He had really missed Professor Sycamore. This had all started because Alain wanted to protect this wonderful man who took him in.

"Are you alright, Alain?" Professor Sycamore asked. "You're- you're crying."

Oh. Now that he mentioned it, Alain was now aware of the hot tears streaming down his face. He squeezed the Gible plush a little bit harder, distressed.

"I'm fine," Alain said. "Just… just a bad dream." The words felt foul in his mouth, a lie. But how do you confess that in a few days you would have left on a journey from home only to join Team Flare, cause the destruction of Lumiose City and fail to protect anything?

"Do you want to talk about it?" Professor Sycamore asked.

Alain shook his head. Everything felt too raw; bubbling too close to the surface. He was reeling from everything. He was in the past. He had the chance to not join Team Flare. Mairin… Chespin… Ash…

Oh Arceus, he was going to screw this up.

Nausea rolled in his stomach, churning unhappily.

"Breakfast?" Professor Sycamore asked. "Some food would get some color back into you. Sophie made her homemade chocolate chip waffles."

Bile welled up in his throat at the mere thought of food. Glumly, he shook his head. "I-I think I'll go sit in the gardens," Alain said weakly. "The fresh air will probably help."

Professor Sycamore's face fell (and there he went disappointing the Professor again). "Okay," he said, squeezing Alain's shoulder. "Just remember, if you need someone to talk to, I'm here, okay?"

Alain felt his heart squeeze even tighter. "Got it. Thanks Professor."

-.-.-.-

The scent of grass and dirt was grounding. Alain found himself hiding in the back corner of the gardens, as far away as he could get away from the house. The tall bushes guarded him from view, leaving him as isolated and secluded as he could get.

Alain squeezed his eyes shut, tears still refusing to stop falling. He scrubbed his face with the sleeve of lab coat, trembling. His chest heaved, rasping for air. He swallowed the noises crawling in his throat with practiced ease.

He was in the past. Truly. Honestly. This was real. It wasn't just a dream.

This time he could protect them, protect them from Team Flare. He wouldn't disappoint the Professor. Mairin wouldn't lose her smile. Chespin wouldn't get hurt. Ash wouldn't…

Alain sucked in a sharp breath as the events that happened right before he had been thrown back in time came crashing down on him. Ash had… he had…

It hadn't happened yet.

"Charmander?" _Alain?_

Alain whirled around. There peeking around the bushes was a Charmander.  _ **His**_  Charmander. He choked. Was there any more proof that he was in the past than the fact that his partner was back to his first stage evolution?

Charmander wandered out of the bushes, bumping up to Alain's legs.

Gently Alain picked him up him, cuddling against the warmth.

"Hey there Charmander," Alain said.

Charmander curled his claws into Alain's lab coat. "Char?"  _Are you okay?_

Alain choked, tears flowing fresh again. It was going to be okay. He had Charmander, he was in the past, he could change everything.

He just had to breathe.

-.-.-

Something was wrong.

Well, Augustine had known that for awhile, but it was distressing to see the problem persist.

Alain was acting strange. He distinctly remember this all started that one morning Augustine had gone to get him for breakfast only to find Alain crying and clutching his stuffed Gible. Thousands and one different thoughts from maybe he had somehow hurt himself to an illness sent Augustine scrambling.

He might have bought the bad dream excuse, but not after Alain turned down Sophie's homemade chocolate chip waffles.

Alain loved Sophie's chocolate chip waffles. He asked her to make them every time it was Sophie's turn to cook breakfast ever since he was six. It was the first meal Sophie had made for him after Alain came to live at the lab and he loved those waffles to pieces.

For Alain to turn down Sophie's homemade fluffy chocolate chip waffles was complete blasphemy.

(Sophie herself spent the rest of morning in shock after Augustine had told her that Alain didn't want chocolate chip waffles. "But… but… but I always make Alain chocolate chip waffles! How can he not want chocolate chip waffles?! They're his favorite!")

Since then, Alain would just wander around the lab with a dazed expression. His mind was thousands of miles away and when he was focused, a gloomy atmosphere clung to him. He withdrew slightly, not opening up to any of Augustine, Sophie or Cosette's inquiries about his well being, just brushing it off that he was fine.

Charmander was glued to Alain's side almost 24/7, rarely leaving his side. Garchomp was similar, demanding Alain's attention. In fact most of the lab Pokemon were drawn close to him. It wasn't too unusual as many of the Pokemon here adored Alain, but it was even more obvious than usual, as if they had also noticed something was wrong.

"Maybe it's puberty?" Cosette suggested. "He is at that age."

"Teenage angst," Sophie said, crossing her arms. "I was went through a stage like that too."

"Alain doesn't do teenage angst," Augustine said.

Honestly, the thing that sucker punched Augustine the most was way Alain looked at them when he thought none of them were looking. He looked at Sophie and Cosette as if they were going to shatter into a thousand pieces if he touched them. He looked at Augustine as if Augustine was going to vanish on him, a vulnerability that Augustine hadn't seen since the early days of Alain's arrival to the lab.

If Augustine didn't know any better, he would have said someone had hurt the boy he thought of as a son. Only Augustine didn't know how, or who, or how to even reassure Alain that he wasn't going to leave him.

He sighed, watching from the window as Alain robotically finished his chores, a trail of Pokemon following after him.

The only question was what could he do to help Alain?

-.-.-

_Alain was frozen in place, staring upwards. There Ash hung, suspended in the air as the red glow of Mega Evolution energy continued to helped._

_He had to move. He had to move before Ash- before he-!_

Alain jolted awake.

He huffed, trying to catch his breath, sweat rolled down his face. Goosebumps broke out across his skin, causing him to shudder, trying to shake off the foreign feeling. He pressed his hand to his face, Ash's screams still echoing in his head.

Because of him, Ash had-... He had d-

Alain was pulling off the covers and rolling out of bed before he knew it. It was too much, he wanted nothing more than to run as far away and as fast as he could.

Instead he found himself outside in the gardens again. The cold grass crunched beneath his feet. He crouched down, plucking at the blades of grade, trying to breath. The wind whistled softly; crisp and cool.

Being outside was calming. Before his arrival in the past, Alain had preferred sleeping outdoors than staying at his room at Lysandre's Labs.

(Could you even call it his room? Everything was so cold, so oppressive. Alain was only there to hide away from the peering eyes from the other members, was only there to rest before hitting the road again.)

A shudder ran down his spine. The sharp contrasts from there and here and how much he had missed being here, being  _home_. He was an idiot, an absolute idiot.

How was he supposed to do this? The pressure was overwhelming and it had already been three months since he crash landed in the past. Nightmares weren't anything new. No, seeing Professor, Sophie and Cosette every morning were what took Alain's breath away. Despite the overwhelming proof that he was in the past, everything still felt like a dream. What had he done to deserve this second chance?

His chest tightened and tears were threatening to spill again. Alain wiped them dry with his pajama sleeve, gasping for breath.

Now was not the time to being crying. There was so much to do. He still hadn't done anything about Team Flare. They were active already.

He had to-

"Alain?"

Alain looked up. "Professor."

Professor Sycamore rubbed his eyes, yawning. "Why are you up? It's like 3 in the morning."

The words choked in Alain's throat, the bitter taste of a lie welling up. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

Professor Sycamore gave him a soft smile. "Not at all. I was on my way to the kitchen. Is something wrong?"

Alain shook his head.

Professor Sycamore gave him a sad smile. "Still don't want to talk about it huh?"

Alain tried not to flinched. He was still getting wrong, still making the professor worry about him. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

Professor Sycamore took a seat next to him on the grass. "There's nothing to be sorry about," he said. "Just know if you want to talk about it, I'm here to listen."

Alain nodded glumly. He knew that. It just… wasn't something he could talk about. Time travel, even with the full knowledge of legendaries like Celebi was a hard pill to swallow. Plus… plus wouldn't Professor Sycamore be so disappointed in Alain for joining Team Flare? For helping them destroy the city?

Guilt gnaw at his heart and Alain simmer unhappily.

"How about some hot chocolate?" Professor Sycamore asked, offering a hand out.

Alain blinked.

" _A bad dream, Alain?" Professor Sycamore asked, sweeping the six year old boy into a hug._

_Alain buried his head into the crook of Professor Sycamore's neck, clutching tight to his shirt._

_Professor Sycamore hummed, rubbing Alain's back. "How about some hot chocolate? Just don't tell Sophie, okay?"_

Mentally he laughed, heart swelling with joy as his chest squeezed with grief. The professor always made him hot chocolate after a bad dream. Alain smiled weakly, grasping Professor Sycamore's offered hand. "Sure, I would like that."

-.-.-

"Two stones seem to have a strong connection to Mega Evolution," Professor Sycamore said. "One is held by the Trainer and the other by the Pokemon. When the two stones resonate, the Pokemon temporarily attains great power."

Alain started up at the screen numbly recognizing the picture Sophie had pulled off. This… this was conversation that had led him to leaving on a journey for Mega Stones. Odd that they were only having this conversation now, but well, he had been worrying everyone at the lab that research had fallen a bit to the side.

He bit back the guilt that he was causing everyone to worried and tried to focus on what Professor Sycamore was saying.

"Where does the power come from?" Alain asked. "Is it given to them by humans?"

Despite everything Alain had seen, he still didn't know exactly how Mega Evolution worked. The bond between Pokemon and Trainer helped pushed it even farther, but the source of the power still remained a mystery to him.

"No, it's the Pokemon's own power. Humans only draw out the power using the stone, that's all. Perhaps it was something that Pokemon could naturally do. I think it is the strong bond between human and Pokemon which allows this phenomenon to happen," Professor Sycamore said.

Like Ash and his Greninja. If there was ever proof that the stones weren't required, it would be Ash and Greninja. Alain smiled softly at the thought of him.

"Does Mega Evolution only come to existence through humans?" Sophie asked.

"Yes. Though there are still many mysteries," Professor Sycamore said. "It was an established theory that Pokemon can't turn back to their previous forms once they evolve. However, Mega Evolution overthrows that theory. They return back to normal.

"Another question is why does it only occur during battles. According to the information in our possession, there are cases of Pokemon changing their Types and Abilities upon mega evolving."

"If their Type and Abilities change, releasing that power might place a burden on the Pokemon," Alain offered. Charizard always seemed to enjoy the change to Mega and there was never any downside Alain had observed. "Perhaps that's why it only happens during battles?"

"That's a possibility," Professor Sycamore said. "Either way we don't have enough samples."

Alain smiled bitterly. Perhaps one day, once Charmander was fully evolved again, they will find a different Keystone and Charizardite X.

"As someone researching Pokemon in Kalos, it's something I don't think I can avoid looking into," Professor Sycamore said. "I think it's important to study the impacts of the energy on both the Pokemon and Trainer."

Alain felt as if the rug was just pulled out of under his feet.

_Ash hanging in the air. The red pulse of Mega Evolution energy scorching the air, hitting Ash with full power. Ash's screams ringing in his ears and Alain still frozen in place. Screams, louder, harsher, deafening._

_Until silence, so quiet as Alain's worldview shrank, praying that Ash would wake. Until that everlasting stretch of white._

Alain was too late. He had been too late. His inaction had caused Ash to- Ash had- He swallowed harshly, choking on the realization. Ash had… Ash had  _ **died**_. Because Alain was too weak, too slow, too paralyzed to do anything!

"-an! Alain?!"

Alain blinked, vision focusing, tears streaming down his face.

Professor Sycamore squeezed his shoulders, looking concerns. "Alain?" he said softly. "Take a deep breath."

Alain compiled, taking a deep breath. "S-sorry," he sputtered out.

"Alain-" Professor Sycamore started.

"I just need a moment," Alain said, pulling away.

This was all his fault.

-.-.-

Augustine tapped his pen against the desk, absentmindedly reading the paperwork before him. A girl's parents wanted to gift her a starter early. Her birthday would have pushed off her journey for another year, but they wanted to let her start early. He glanced over the glowing recommendations and proper paperwork. He supposed there was no reason not to deny her.

"Garchomp."  _I'm worried about Alain._

Augustine smiled, reaching over to pet Garchomp. "Hey there," he said. "I thought you would be with Alain."

Garchomp let out a low pitched whine, looking out the window.

Augustine followed her gaze, finding Alain sitting on the rock outside, absentmindedly staring out in the distance. Charmander was cuddled in his arms.

Augustine sighed. "I don't know what's wrong either," he told her.

He didn't like the lost look in Alain's eyes. There hadn't been any major issues, but it was clear that Alain was carrying through the motions of the day on autopilot. He never engaged in any conversation unless spoken too, often started starting his responses with a sorry.

What did Alain have to be sorry for?

Then there was Alain's reaction during their Mega Evolution research conversation. No matter how many times Augustine had asked, Alain refused to divulge what was wrong. What could have possibly caused him to cry like that?

Garchomp let out another low pitched whine.

"Maybe… a change of scenery will help," Augustine said. "We can go somewhere else."

Garchomp nodded her approval. Augustine hasty scribbled his signature on the paperwork and cleaned up. He had some phone calls to make.

-.-.-

Alain cuddled Charmander, pulling his partner close. Charmander let out a content rumble.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to do this," Alain confided quietly to Charmander. He could always count on Charmander.

Ash… Ash… had died because of him. Mairin lost her smile. Chespin ended up in a coma. Professor Sycamore was disappointed. Because he wasn't careful enough. Because he wasn't fast enough. Because he had foolishly fallen for Lysandre's plan.

He failed to protect the people he wanted to protect and that failure stung worst than any pain Alain had ever felt.

Alain shook his head, trying to clear away the gloomy thoughts. He had spent long enough moping about this. Team Flare was still a problem. Alain had looked Lysandre's Labs up yesterday. They were still situated on the outskirts of Lumiose City, no doubt still carrying out their experiments with Mega Evolution energy.

If his memory served him right, in the old timeline, Alain would have met Lysandre relatively soon.

Would it be enough? Would not agreeing to join Team Flare, never meeting Lysandre, would it be enough?

"It should be," Alain said softly. "Without me they can't get what they want." Alain was the one who went running around collecting Mega Evolution energy for them. Even what went down Hoenn would probably go differently. Without Mega Evolution energy, they couldn't carry out their plan.

"Char," Charmander said.  _It'll be okay._  

Alain smiled, rubbing Charmander's head. "Thanks Charmander."

"Alain."

"Yes?" Alain said.

Professor Sycamore grinned. "What do you say about a trip to Unova?"

"Unova?" Alain asked, blinking in surprise. What was in Unova?

"I have a colleague, Professor Juniper who is the regional professor of Unova. She specializes in the origin of Pokemon and I thought it might be good to review some older stories of Mega Evolution," Professor Sycamore said. "Sophie said she can't make it, so if you're okay with coming with me, it'll just be the two of us. What do you say?"

Oh. That was a good reason. Not to mention if the Professor did publish his paper, it would slow Team Flare down more wouldn't it? If more people were studying Mega Evolution, it would make Team Flare's movement even slower.

"Okay," Alain said. "Sure, Unova sounds great."

Professor Sycamore beamed. "Excellent! We leave tomorrow. We need to get packing!"

"Char Char!" Charmander cheered.  _Let's go! I can't wait._

Alain smiled. Unova huh? What would they find there?

-.-.-

"Welcome to Unova!" Professor Sycamore said, as they drove down the road.

Alain smiled, taking in the scenery. A new region huh? He wondered what kind of Pokemon he would see here. And it would be interesting to see what Professor Juniper was working on. Above a Pidove flew, cooing as it passed overhead.

"Professor Juniper's lab is located in Nuvema Town," Professor Sycamore said. "Which isn't that far from here.

Alain took in a deep breath, smelling the salt in the air. This far away from the airport harbor and still the scent of the sea linger. "Must be quiet," Alain said. "Not like the bustling city back home."

Professor Sycamore grinned. "Perhaps we should look into moving the lab further out?"

"The Pokemon might like it," Alain agreed.

They pulled down a small road, passing a herd of Deerling grazing among the grass. They turned the corner and there came into view a large lake with several bird pokemon floating.

"Oh, I don't even recognize those," Alain said.

"I believe they're Swanna," Professor Sycamore said. "They're water/flying types."

The road led straight into a small town. "Here we go, Nuvema Town," Professor Sycamore said. "And if memory serves, Professor Juniper's lab should be right up ahead."

They pulled up to a large white building. "Wow, it's big," Alain said.

"She has the room to spread out," Professor Sycamore said. "Hopefully she isn't too busy. She mentioned a morning engagement and our flight arrived early."

Alain pulled out the bags from the car. "Should I go ring the doorbell?"

Before Professor Sycamore could answer him, the rumble of a car engine could heard. There pulling into the driveway was a jeep full of people. Alain recognized Professor Juniper from Professor Sycamore's pictures, a redhead lady, an old man that looked vaguely familiar and-

Alain's breath was stolen away.  _Ash_. Ash was in the jeep. Pikachu peeking over edge of the car, cheeks sparking.

"Professor Sycamore!" Professor Juniper said, climbing out of the car. "You're early! If I knew you had arrived already, I would have picked you up too."

"Professor Juniper… is that you Professor Oak?" Professor Sycamore called out, waving.

"Hello, Professor Sycamore," Professor Oak greeted.

"Our flight landed early. You didn't mention you would have Professor Oak over as well," Professor Sycamore said.

"I figured it would be a nice surprise," Professor Juniper said. "This is Delia Ketchum and her son, Ash. They're guests of Professor Oak."

"Nice to meet you," Professor Sycamore said. "This is Alain."

Alain meekly waved, still stunned.

By Arceus, Ash was  _ **here**_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Rough Timeline**  
>  Ash: Age 10 Start of Kanto  
> Kanto + Orange Islands = 1 year  
> Johto + Hoenn + Kanto again = 2 years  
> Sinnoh = 1 year  
> Unova = 1 year  
> Kalos = 1 year
> 
> Ash: Age 14 at the start of Unova  
> Ash: Age 15 at the start of Kalos/end of Unova  
> Ash: Age 16 at the end of Kalos
> 
> Alain: Age 17 at the end of Kalos  
> Alain: Age 16 at beginning of Kalos  
> Alain: Age 15 when he met Lysandre
> 
> * * *
> 
> Poor Alain, he can't catch a break here. Mind you, he's still coming to terms with everything. Pretty sure you guys can see what's coming next.
> 
> Please leave a review on your way out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I continue to lose against this plunny. *watches plunny eat my brain*

Ash was here.

Alain numbly blinked, trying to wrap his mind around this information. Ash was here, alive! Ash was alive and Alain had never felt such relief to see him smile so happily. Alain never expected to meet him until Ash had arrived in Kalos. What was Ash doing here in Unova?

"Alain?" Professor Sycamore asked, looking at him with a touch of concern.

Alain blinked and managed a hasty smile. "Hello," he said. He bowed politely. "Thank you for having us, Professor Juniper."

Professor Juniper smiled. "You're a polite one. I hope I can be of help."

"Are you a trainer too?" Ash asked, coming up to Alain. Pikachu was perched on his shoulder, looking just as excited as his trainer.

The 'yes' swiftly died in Alain's mouth. "Not really," Alain answered, opting for the half-truth. "I have my trainer license, but I'm Professor Sycamore assistant."

"Ah, like Gary!" Ash said.

W-Who? Alain mentally winced. Despite the fierce rivalry he had shared with Ash, Alain actually didn't know him that well. He mourned that for a brief moment. There had never been any time, not with the way Alain had been carrying out his mission.

' _This time I'll be able to ask,'_  he thought.  _'I'll be able to really get to know Ash.'_

Pikachu's cheeks sparked. He shook his head, looking unhappy.

"Is that normal?" Alain asked. Pikachus weren't that common to Kalos and only time Alain had seen Pikachu's cheeks spark outside of battle like that was the second time they had faced each other, right before the match. He had taken it as a sign of excitement back then, maybe it wasn't?

"Not like this," Ash answered.

"We'll take a look," Professor Juniper promised.

"Let us know if we can help," Professor Sycamore offered.

They funneled into the lab, where Professor Juniper placed several probes onto Pikachu.

"Chuu," Pikachu whined, unhappy to be covered in wires.  _I don't like this._

"Just stay still," Ash said. "It'll be over soon."

"Can you tell us what happened?" Professor Juniper asked.

Ash nodded. "We had just gotten off the plane at the harbor and there was this Pokemon we didn't recognize breaching from the water, so we got a little closer to try and see it. There was a minor run in with Team Rocket but before anything could happen, this dark thundercloud came out of nowhere and shocked us.

"Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt back, and we thought saw the shape of a Pokemon in the clouds. It shocked us again." Ash grimaced. "We passed out for a bit but when we woke up everything was fine, but Pikachu's cheeks started sparking."

"You were shocked too?" Alain said, paling at the thought. The image of Ash hanging in the air, the red beam of Mega Evolution energy pulsing as Ash screamed. "S-Shouldn't you get checked out too?"

"Ash?" Delia asked, concern lacing her voice.

Professor Juniper stuck a probe to Ash. "Alain is right. You didn't mention getting shocked earlier."

Ash frowned but let her place probes on him as well. "Pikachu has shocked me harder."

He had? Alain stared in bafflement. Pikachu was so well behaved, Alain couldn't even imagine when that could have happened. Do Pikachus startle easily? Was that why?

"The readings look stable, both for Ash and Pikachu," Professor Sycamore said. "No unusual abnormalities."

"Agreed," Professor Oak said.

"Perhaps a quick stress test," Professor Sycamore said. "Have Ash run a couple laps around the lab and Pikachu run through his moves. It might fine at rest, but once the heart rate goes up, things could change."

"Excellent suggestion," Professor Juniper agreed. "Ash, Pikachu?"

"We can do that!" Ash said.

"Pika!"  _Yes!_

They headed outside, Ash and Pikachu pulling ahead and running a few laps. Alain watched intently, looking for signs of distress. He remembered that one battle where they had been testing the synchronicity of Ash and Greninja that ended with Ash collapsing on the ground.

Did… did this happen regularly? Was it Bonding Phenomenon in the works, except with Pikachu instead of Greninja? But Pikachu showed no signs of changing his appearance like Greninja did.

"Ash seems like a good kid," Professor Sycamore said.

Alain didn't not jump, though it was a near thing. "Yes," he agreed. "You can tell he really loves his Pikachu."

Even without the benefits of time travel, that much was clear. Pikachu was clean; his coat shiny and trimmed. The spark of intelligence in Pikachu's eyes, not mention the adoration and the way they stayed closed together. Even as they were running, they fell in sync, matching strides.

"Sign of a good trainer," Professor Sycamore agreed.

"Alright Pikachu!" Ash said, coming to a stop. "Let's start off with a Thunderbolt!"

"Pika!"  _Right!_

Nothing.

Pikachu let out a confused whine and tried once more. Nothing. "Chuu…?"  _Nothing happened._

"Pikachu?" Ash asked.

Pikachu shook his head, cheeks sparking. Ash reached down to pet him.

"That's okay. Thunderbolt doesn't work. Let's try Volt Tackle," Ash asked.

"Pika!"  _Okay!_  Pikachu picked up speed, building up a charge and still nothing helped.

"Iron Tail!" Ash called up.

This time, Pikachu's tail glowed silver, lighting up with the steel-based energy attack.

"It looks like Pikachu can't use any Electric attacks," Professor Juniper said. "Ash appears to be fine though."

Ash picked up Pikachu who grumbled unhappily. "It's a good thing we figured this out now," Ash said. "Is there anything that can help Pikachu?"

"I'm sure we can figure it out," Professor Oak said.

"We'll have to run more test," Professor Sycamore said.

"Professor Juniper!" a lab assistant called out. "A new trainer is here!"

"Oh, already?" Professor Juniper.

"Do you give out starters to new trainers too?" Alain asked.

"Yes," Professor Juniper said. "I only raise the Unova starters here, but I hope to expand eventually, much like Professor Sycamore."

"That's so cool," Ash said.

"I can show you two the starters," Professor Juniper said.

"And I'll start running some test on Pikachu," Professor Sycamore said, taking Pikachu.

Ash shared a look with Alain, grinning. Alain smiled back and they both eagerly followed after Professor Juniper.

There, waiting in the front lobby of the lab was a boy snapping pictures of the area.

"Hello Trip," Professor Juniper.

"Hi Professor Juniper!" Trip said, coming up to her with a polite bow. "At last, the day where I start my journey as a Pokemon Trainer as arrive."

Professor Juniper smiled. "You've been waiting for a long time for this day, no? Welcome to the Pokemon World."

"Were you unable to sleep last night because you were so excited and thrilled?" Ash asked. "Because that's how it was for me."

Alain smiled. Even he was a little eager that first night before he started on his journey. Charmander and he had stayed up all night waiting for the sunrise. His journey wasn't even a traditional trainer journey; Alain really had every intention of coming back home after a few months. But he supposed, there was something brand new and exciting about setting out and traveling.

"Who are you?" Trip asked with a frown.

"Let me introduce you," Professor Juniper said. "This is Ash from Pallet Town in the Kanto region. And this is Alain from Lumiose City in the Kalos region."

"Nice to meet you!" Ash said.

"Kanto region? Pallet Town?" Trip scoffed.

"What's so funny?" Ash asked.

"I was just thinking you came from quite a hick town," Trip said. "I at least recognize Lumiose City."

Alain scowled, his own annoyance flaring. "Pallet Town isn't a hick town," he immediately interjected. "It's home to Professor Oak, THE Pokemon Professor who created Pokedex. And just because someone comes from a small town, doesn't make them a nobody not worth your time. Strong trainers come from everywhere."

And Alain knew that Ash was a strong trainer.

Trip looked away, not meeting Alain in the eye.

"Now, now," Professor Juniper said, cutting the brewing fight off. "Today is the first day of your journey, let's enjoy it."

She reached for first Pokeball on her cart. "Now, Trip, choose one of these as your first partner, okay? First up, the Fire Starter, Tepig!"

A small brown and black pig materialized, shaking its head. Ash grinned, crouching down at it. "So cool, a Tepig!"

Tepig ran off, skirting near Alain's legs and letting out a burst of fire. Alain reached down to pet it. "That's a strong flame," he said, remembering how Charmander would always let loose embers when he was young.

"Fire types are always so energetic," Ash said, grinning.

"Next is the Water Starter, Oshawott," Professor Juniper said, tossing another Pokeball into the air.

This time a blue and white otter Pokemon materialized, looking up with big wide eyes. Trip looked down it with a small frown as Ash cooed.

"You're quite cute," Ash said.

"Finally, the Grass Starter, Snivy," Professor Juniper said, tossing the last Pokeball.

The green snake appeared, standing tall.

"Oh, this one is confident!" Ash said.

Alain could only smile. Ash's energy was quite infectious.

"I'll take Snivy!" Trip said.

"Right. Here is your Pokedex, five Pokeballs and Snivy's Pokeball," Professor Juniper said. "With that, you're set. Do your best on your studies as a trainer."

"Thank you, Professor," Trip said.

"Will you be doing Gym Battles?" Ash asked.

"Of course, it's the basics after all," Trip said.

Alain's eyes narrowed. He really wasn't like the tone of voice Trip was taking with Ash.

"Pikapi!"  _Ash!_

Pikachu came running down the hallway. Ash bent down, allowing Pikachu to climb up to his usual perch on his shoulder. "Pikachu! Are the examinations done?"

"Unfortunately not," Professor Sycamore said, following after them. "But Pikachu was getting restless without you, so we decided to take a break. Plus, it will be time for lunch soon."

"What kind Pokemon is that?" Trip asked, pulling out his Pokedex to read the entry for Pikachu before pulling out his camera to rapidly take pictures of Pikachu.

Pikachu and Ash both stared at him, slightly confused as Trip circled around them to take all different sorts of angles.

"What are you doing?" Ash asked.

"This is why hillbillies are so troublesome," Trip said. "A Pikachu in Unova? That's impossible!"

"It's not unusual at all, because Ash is from Kanto and Pikachus are native to Kanto," Alain interrupted.

"Pikachu and I go everywhere together," Ash said, petting Pikachu under the chin. "He's my number one partner."

"Pikapi," Pikachu said, nuzzling against Ash's head.  _Ash is the best partner ever._

"Let's have a battle!" Trip said.

"Not happening," Professor Juniper said. "Ash's Pikachu isn't completely recovered."

Pikachu's ears predictably drooped. "Chaa," he grumbled unhappily.  _Not fair._

"But I have other Pokemon," Ash said. "Assuming Tracy is able to send them to me."

"He should be able to!" Professor Oak called out, sticking his head out the door from the down the hall.

Alain straightened. Other Pokemon? Ash had more? How many more? He supposed it was logical that Ash had travel through Kanto first before coming to Kalos. But during the league battle… Ash had only used Pokemon native to Kalos. Why?

"Like what?" Trip asked.

Ash placed his finger to his chin, thinking. "Let's see. You just got your Grass Starter, why don't I show you Kanto's Grass Starter."

"A Bulbasaur?" Alain asked.

Ash nodded. "Yeah! Pikachu was my starter, so I actually caught my Bulbasaur in the wild."

Trip's eyes narrowed. "Sure. Let's go."

"Boys," Professor Juniper said. "Very well. You can use the field out back. Ash, this way. The Pokemon Transreceiver is over here."

-.-.-

"I'll be the referee," Professor Oak called out, taking the center position of the field.

"Let's go Snivy!" Trip said, tossing his Pokeball.

"Bulbasaur, I choose you!" Ash threw his own Pokeball.

"Oh!" Professor Sycamore said. "Looks like Bulbasaur is as well cared for as Pikachu."

Alain nodded in agreement. Much like Pikachu, Bulbasaur was clean, the bulb on his back a nice glossy vibrant green. There was also a sense of confidence in the way it helds itself that, didn't even look back at Ash, was simply readied to go.

"Bulbasaur is one of Ash's oldest Pokemon still with him," Delia said with a smile. "Probably one of his most mature Pokemon too."

"Snivy use Tackle!" Trip commanded.

"Jump Bulbasaur! Follow it up with Leech Seed."

Bulbasaur jumped into the air, dodging Snivy's attack. A seed launched from Bulbasaur's bulb and hit Snivy, bursting open to wrap thin tendrils around his body.

"Cut!" Trip called out. Snivy shimmied as a white glow formed around his claws. With a twist, he slid a claw underneath the tendrils and cut away the Leech Seed vines. "Yes!"

"Vine Whip," Ash said.

Bulbasaur's vines whipped out, shooting straight at Snivy, who ducked and dodged the frenzy attack.

"Leaf Tornado!" Trip said.

The swirl of leaves gathered around Snivy before he fired it directly at Bulbasaur. The attack hit, kicking up a storm of dirt.

"Hah! Take that, you hillbilly," Trip said, pumping his fist.

Alain scowled. "There he goes again, insulting Ash."

Ash on the other hand, was unphase. He merely smiled. "Take two steps to the left and fire directly ahead. Solarbeam, Bulbasaur."

A bright white light cut through the smoke, hitting Snivy head on and sending the small snake flying across the field and crashing through several trees. Snivy fell over, unconscious.

"Snivy is unable to battle! Ash and Bulbasaur are the winner," Professor Oak said.

"Oops, put a little too much power into that one," Ash said, coming over to pet Bulbasaur. "Good job, Bulbasaur."

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur said, nuzzling against Ash's hand.  _Thanks for calling for me._

"Impressive," Professor Sycamore said, placing his hand to his chin. "Not only was able Ash able to correct Bulbasaur's position to aim correctly in the low visibly of the smoke, Solarbeam is a move that only some Bulbasaurs can learn and only at a much older age too."

"It was a really powerful Solarbeam too, if it knocked Snivy as far as it did," Alain said, excited. His mind flickered to the several combinations he and Charmander could pull off to avoid that attack.

Trip scowled, returning Snivy. "Whatever," he said, sulking.

"Don't be like that," Professor Juniper chided gently. "Ash is a more experienced trainer. You should take this battle as a goal to aim for. Now let's get your Snivy healed up." She led Trip away, back into the lab.

"Good job, Ash," Delia said, patting Ash on the shoulder. "I'm going to check up on the stove. Our lunch should be just about done."

Alain crouched down to Bulbasaur's level. "You were amazing, Bulbasaur. You too, Ash."

Ash let out a nervous laugh. "It's all Bulbasaur. I don't do much. He actually doesn't need that much input from me these days. But you know, good example for a new trainer to shout out every attack."

"Sign that you're a good trainer," Alain said.

The trust that Ash had in Pokemon was always amazing to see. He didn't just bond with one (though arguably his bond with Greninja and Pikachu were the strongest), he bonded with all of his Pokemon.

"Do you have any Pokemon, Alain?" Ash curious.

"A Charmander," Alain said.

"Can I see?" Ash said.

"You really like Pokemon," Alain said fondly. He pulled out Charmander's Pokeball and threw it.

"Charmander!" Charmander materialized and ran straight to Alain.  _Alain!_

"Hey there, Charmander," Alain said, picking him up. "This is Ash."

"Hi Charmander!" Ash said, waving.

"Char!" Charmander waved back.  _Hello!_

"Heh, you're cute too," Ash said. Pikachu chimed his agreement. "Reminds me of-"

"Ash! Alain!" Professor Sycamore called out. "Delia said lunch is ready!"

As if on cue, Ash's stomach growled. "Guess I'm hungry," Ash said.

"Better get some food in you then," Alain said. "We still have to run more tests on Pikachu after lunch."

Pikachu grumbled once more, ears flickering.

"Don't be like that," Ash said. "You want your electricity back, don't you? It's just a couple more examinations."

"Chuu," Pikachu grumbled.  _If I must…_

-.-.-

"So what's wrong with Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"It looks like Pikachu has fallen into a rare overload state," Professor Juniper said, reading off the screen.

Alain smiled reassuringly to Pikachu who sat unhappily covered in probes. Pikachu stared back at him, looking every inch of miserable.

"Oh dear," Delia said. "Is that bad?"

"Overload?" Alain asked. How did that work?

"It has taken in too much electric energy from that thundercloud and lightning you mentioned," Professor Juniper said.

"Yes, that's why he didn't feel feel well and couldn't use his Electric moves as command," Professor Oak agreed.

"It's a bit like overeating," Professor Sycamore said. "When you eat so much and too stuffed to move."

"Does this mean Pikachu won't be able to use Electric moves again?" Ash asked.

Pikachu's cheeks began to spark. "Pika!" Pikachu said, alarmed.  _Something is wrong!_  A charge began to gather around his tail as the lights in the lab flickered ominously. The screens distorted, static filling the air.

"What's going on?" Delia asked.

Alain looked out the window to see a dark thundercloud cover the sky. "Is that the same thundercloud?" Alain asked.

That was too sudden. The day was perfectly clear beforehand. The work of a Pokemon? But what kind of Pokemon could generate a thundercloud this big, this fast? Lightning cracked sharply, thunder rumbling in distance.

"Pikachu!" Ash said.

Pikachu cried out in pain, the sparks of electricity growing larger.

The lights died out, casting the lab into darkness, only lit by the sparks Pikachu continue to emit. Pikachu cried out again in pain, tensing up.

"Restore the systems!" Professor Juniper shouted. Her lab assistant went scrambling out the door.

She turned back to the window, looking up at the cloud. "Could it be?" she whispered. "Could that cloud have been created by Zekrom?"

"The legendary?" Professor Sycamore asked.

"Zekrom?" Alain asked.

"It's a legend in this region," Professor Juniper asked. "The huge thundercloud is a god's eye protecting people and Pokemon. The numerous lightning bolts are referred to as hammers of judgement as well as pillars supporting the sky."

Another bolt of lightning hit the building and Pikachu let out a pained cry. His own sparks of electricity grew exponentially, letting off it fire off.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out, as they all took a step back.

"Don't get too close!" Professor Sycamore warned. "It's too dangerous!"

Pikachu cried out again. Professor Juniper and Professor Oak had turned back to computers, furiously typing in to see if the system would restore. They both took a step back as consoles surged with energy, smoke beginning to rise as the last of the monitors running battery backups overloaded and failed.

"It's no use," Professor Juniper said. "The load is too high! At this rate, the entire system will be destroyed!"

"All this because of a thundercloud?" Professor Oak said, grimacing. "It definitely has to be a legendary at work."

"Is there anything we can do?" Alain asked.

Outside, lightning bolts continue to fly down, energy crackling and surging. Thunder rumbled, roaring and rattling the windows. Then, a pierce shriek could be heard, louder than lightning and thunder.

Pikachu collapsed on the table, power continuing to build.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted. "Hang in there." He rushed forward, wrapping his arms around Pikachu.

"Ash no!" Professor Sycamore shouted.

Alain paled as both Ash and Pikachu screamed out in pain, the image of Ash hanging in the air, screaming overlapping for a second. 'Move!' he mentally ordered his body, to do something, to do anything and yet frozen in place he continued to remain.

Silence. The lightning and thunder stopped, the sky clearing instantly. Ash and Pikachu fell to the ground as Delia rushed over to her son.

Alain felt his heart race, blood pounding in his ears. 'No, no, no.' Not again. Please, not again. He joined Delia next to Ash's side. "Ash?" he whispered, begging him to answer.

The lights flickered back on, the screens returning to normal. "The system recovered!" Professor Juniper said in shock.

Ash sat up, moaning softly. "Oww…" he mumbled.

Alain closed his eyes, shoulders sagging in relief. Oh, thank Arceus. "Please don't scare me like that," Alain said, pressing his hand to his face.

Ash weakly smiled. "Sorry. I'm fine." He sat up straighter. "Wait, Pikachu?!"

A few feet away, Pikachu sat up, shaking his body out before jumping to his feet. "Pika Pika Chu!" he said, charging up.  _I feel great!_  The electric energy wrapped around his tail, charging normally.

"Are you cured?" Ash asked.

"Chaa!" Pikachu said, agreeing.  _I can feel my electricity again._

"Alright, let's try a Thunderbolt on me!" Ash said.

What?! "Wait," Alain said. A Thunderbolt on Ash? That kind of electric charge could stop a human's heart!

It was too late as Pikachu charged up a Thunderbolt, letting it loose. To Alain's surprise, Ash shook it off as if it was nothing.

"Right, now Volt Tackle!" Ash said.

"Ash!" both Alain and Delia called out.

Pikachu rammed straight into Ash in a blur of yellow, knocking them both into the wall. "Pikapi?"  _Ash, was that too hard?_

"Heh, no," Ash said, hugging him, electric energy disbursing around them. "I'm so glad you recovered."

"How are you not dead?" Alain asked, pained. He felt as if he had lost several years of his life just watching Ash and Pikachu. Honestly, how had Ash survived that?

"I've always been able to handle Pikachu's attacks," Ash said with a grin. "You should hear the story of the day we met."

"Please at least eat a Cheri Berry for my sake," Alain said. "I'm sure Professor Juniper has one laying around here."

Pikachu held out a Cheri Berry, handing it to Ash. "Pikapi!"  _Eat one!_

Ash accepted it with a sheepish smile. "I know. Pikachu always makes me eat one. We regularly carry them," Ash said. "Thanks Pikachu."

Smart. Alain used to carry carried several Rawst Berries in case of burn because of Charizard. Well, he used to carry a full set of berries and several full cures because traveling meant they weren't near a Pokemon Center often.

"I wish you weren't so reckless," Delia said. "I know Pikachu shocks you frequently, but please be more careful."

Alain let loose a soft whimper in the back of his throat. Pikachu was one of the most behaved Pokemon Alain had ever met and he knew exactly how much Pikachu and Ash adored each other. What on earth did everyone mean Pikachu "frequently shock" Ash? He couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"Don't worry, Alain. We're fine," Ash reassured.

"If you say so," Alain said. What else could he do but believe in Ash?

-.-.-

Bringing Alain to Unova was the best idea Augustine had. The change of scenery had cheered Alain up immensely, but the most curious change was meeting Ash.

Alain had always been… not exactly shy, but he didn't open up strangers easily. With his new moodier attitude, Augustine had been fearing Alain was withdrawing even more into himself. But with Ash, Alain was engaging in conversation willingly, even smiling. It helped that Ash himself was a friendly kid.

Had Alain just been lonely? Was making a friend enough to settle whatever had been bothering Alain for these past couple months?

Perhaps Augustine had been smothering him too much? Alain rarely left the lab aside from errands, didn't exactly have any other friends his age. Cosette was the closest in age, but even she was a good five years older than Alain.

Augustine churned the thoughts in his head. Perhaps he should have encouraged Alain to go out and have more fun. But even a child, Alain had no interest in going to the park to play with other child, more interested in whatever Augustine had been doing in the lab or playing with the many Pokemon the lab hosted.

"I think I'm going to stay in Unova," Ash announced over dinner. "To see more Pokemon of this region and to make more friends!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, raising his hand in the air.  _More battles too!_

Augustine watched as Alain's face practically fell before he hastily covered it up. Hmm...

Delia had asked Augustine and Alain to join them for dinner, something Augustine had quickly agreed to as Alain had perked up in interest. Barely a day in Unova and meeting Ash, and Alain had shown more energy than in the last several months.

"Gym Battles?" Alain asked.

"Right!" Ash said. "I'll win against the Gym Leaders, get eight badges and enter the Unova League! I'll win the Championship!"

"I expected nothing less," Delia said with a laugh. "I knew you were going to say that."

"I'll expect regular reports from you," Professor Oak said. "Don't worry about your Pokemon, I'll look after your Pokemon back at the ranch."

"Would you like to go with him, Alain?" Augustine asked. "Assuming, Ash is okay with a traveling partner?"

Alain looked at him, surprised. "W-what?"

"I'm okay with it!" Ash said.

"You never got a chance to do your own Pokemon journey," Augustine said. Alain had never shown interest in one, and Augustine never asked. A friend might be all Alain want, and if it meant keeping Ash and Alain together a little bit longer, Augustine was more than okay letting Alain go off on his journey.

Alain looked at him as if Augustine had declared Alain wasn't allowed to come home and was throwing him out on the street. Augustine mentally winced at that. It seems Alain was still not reassured of his place back home.

"Don't you need me back at the lab?" Alain asked quietly.

"Of course," Augustine said. It was the honest truth. He would probably need to hire someone else to cover Alain's workload if Alain did go on the journey. "But you look pretty interested in Ash's journey and I figured you would want some time away from the lab."

What Augustine didn't mention that he caught the look of fear on Alain's face, right after Ash had collapsed and lights turned back on. Similar to the one Alain frequently gave him, as if Ash, like Augustine, were going to disappear in poof of smoke.

Augustine didn't know what to make of it. He knew Alain and Ash had never met before, so was it just a lack of reassurance completely on Alain's part or just a fear for a friend that Alain had just met and for some reason latched onto?

"Only if you want to," Augustine reassured. Perhaps, no matter how interested, Alain might rather be back at home. "But I rather you not be cooped up in the lab all day long. You're young, you should go out and see the world for a little bit."

"C-can I think about it?" Alain asked, still looking mentally thrown.

Oh dear. Had he pushed too hard?

"Of course," Augustine said.

"I don't plan on leaving until tomorrow," Ash said.

"It is far too late for you to start," Delia agreed.

"Excuse me," Alain said, standing up from the table.

"Charmander!" Charmander quickly left, following after Alain.  _Alain, wait for me!_

Ah. He had pushed too hard. Augustine sighed softly.

"Is everything alright?" Ash asked.

Augustine smiled. "Alain has been having a hard time recently. More than a Pokemon journey, I think he really needs a friend. And honestly, you're the first person I've seen him warm up so quickly to."

Ash gave a thoughtful hum. "A friend huh? I can do that. I'll be more than happy travel with Alain and if he needs more time to think about it, I don't have to start my journey tomorrow either. It can wait a couple more days. Gyms aren't going anywhere."

"Thank you," Augustine said. "I'll go talk to him."

Hopefully, Alain would be willing to talk.

-.-.-

Alain found himself outside of Professor Juniper's lab, gasping for air.

That… that… that conversation felt too close!

" _Are you angry that I never came back?"_

" _No, I understand."_

Alain choked. No, Professor Sycamore did and didn't understand, but neither did Alain, too caught up in foolishly believing that he was doing the right thing, trusting a madman who had gotten too close. Last time, Alain had given all of it up, had willingly left home, his family and for Professor Sycamore to ask him to do it again…

It felt a little like betrayal.

Like thousands of tiny needles being driven into his skin over and over again. A prickling pain that didn't lingered.

"Char?" Charmander reached out to grab Alain's jeans, tugging on it.  _Are you okay?_

Alain wiped his face and picked up Charmander, the warmth and weight of his partner soothing.

"Char Char," Charmander said, patting Alain on the arm.  _There, there_.

"Thanks, Charmander," Alain said.

"Alain?"

Alain looked up to see Professor Sycamore standing there. "Sorry about leaving like that," Alain apologized.

"You don't need to apologize," Professor Sycamore said. "Can I hug you?"

Alain blinked in surprise, putting Charmander down. "Yes…?"

Professor Sycamore pulled him close, squeezing tight. Alain melted, hugging back.

"I keep messing this up," Professor Sycamore said when he finally pulled away. "I'm concerned about you, Alain. I know there's something seriously bothering you."

"Sorry-" Alain started.

"You don't have to apologize," Professor Sycamore said, cutting him off. "Alain, you don't ever have to tell me anything you're not willing to tell me. But I want you to know that I'm worried about you."

"You keep looking like the world is about shatter beneath your feet, like I'm going to abandon you," Professor Sycamore continued softly. "And I don't know how to reassure you that isn't the case. It isn't like when you were six and just being there was enough."

Alain's heart ached. He… remembered that. Before… before the professor took him in, his world had been so turbulent, so shaky, Alain didn't trust anything would last. Arriving at the lab, that felt like a dream. Professor Sycamore and Sophie had let him cling to them; Alain used their physical presences to reassure himself that this was permanent. That it was real.

Professor Sycamore reached out to squeeze Alain's shoulder. "This trip was for research purposes, but also because I really wanted you to get out of the lab. Meeting Ash made you light up in a way I haven't seen you do in months. That's why I suggested you going on a journey with him. I thought it might take your mind off whatever is bothering you, and that exploring a new region you've never been to would be exciting."

Oh.  _Oh_. So not because Alain was worthless.

"And -" Professor Sycamore's expression turned serious, "Alain, you know that the lab will always be your home and that I think of you as a son, right?"

Alain felt the wind knocked out of him. "W-what?" he asked, voice breaking. Hot tears ran down his face.

Professor Sycamore looked a little heartbroken. "I should say that more often, huh? Alain, the lab will always be your home and I think of you as a son," he repeated.

Alain's mind was swimming. He had always considered the professor the closest thing to a father he had and had known the lab was  _ **home.**_  But it was another thing to hear it said aloud, to have it acknowledged.

"You could run away, or move to Kanto and be Professor Oak's assistant," Professor Sycamore joked, "and there would still be a place for you to come back to, okay?"

"Even if I joined an evil organization?" Alain couldn't help but ask.

"Even then," Professor Sycamore said. "Though I would appreciate the heads up so I can prepare cover stories."

Alain surged forward to hug him again. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulder.

Professor Sycamore hugged him back. "Whatever you want to do, Alain," he said. "If you want to just go back home after this, we can. If you want to travel in Kalos where things are familiar or with Ash, whichever one."

"I… I think I would like to travel with Ash," Alain said. As familiar as Kalos would be, he didn't even want the remote chance of running into Lysandre again. Plus, traveling with Ash was bound to be interesting and exciting. Alain wanted to get to know Ash better.

"Sounds like a plan," Professor Sycamore said. "I do expect frequent calls home."

"Got it," Alain said.

Maybe… maybe this would work out?

-.-.-

"Thank you for having me, Ash," Alain said.

"No need to be so formal," Ash replied with an easy grin. "The trip is always more fun when you travel with friends."

"Alright you two," Professor Juniper said. "Here's your Pokedex and 5 Pokeballs."

"Thank you," Alain and Ash chorused together.

The sun was shining over the horizon, the start of a brand new day. It was looking like to be a good start for their journey.

"Now, technically speaking, Alain is new trainer and Ash is a new trainer to Unova," Professor Juniper said with a smile. "Would either of you be interested in Tepig or Oshawott?"

Oshawott's Pokeball broke out and the otter launched itself at Ash. Ash quickly caught it. "Hey Oshawott. Do you want to come with us?"

"Osha!" Oshawott agreed.  _Yes!_

Professor Juniper released Tepig from his ball.

Alain bent down to the fire pig's level. "Hey Tepig," Alain said. "Would you like to come as well? You'll probably get along with Charmander."

Tepig butted her head against Alain's offered hand.

"Well that was easy," Professor Juniper said. "The first gym is in Striaton City, which is relatively close to here."

"You didn't forget anything did you?" Delia said, fussing over Ash.

"Nope! Packed it all. Don't worry," Ash reassured her.

"There's a Pokemon center right after you travel through the forest," Professor Juniper said. "If you get into any trouble, head there okay?"

"Remember to call often," Professor Sycamore said.

Alain smiled. "I will. Maybe I'll even find something related to Mega Evolution here."

"Yup!" Professor Sycamore agreed. "We don't have any idea why they're only found in Kalos at the moment. So if you find any insight into that, let me know!"

"Right, let's go Alain," Ash said.

Alain smiled. "Yeah let's."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Pikachu's ridiculous life: 1 Alain's Brain: 0
> 
> Why yes, I totally threw Alain at Ash and yes they're going to be traveling through Unova together. Also wave goodbye to Trip. That's probably the last time you see him (unless I need an opponent for Ash during League). Trip's whole purpose in the anime was to always win against Ash until League... so I negated that. Small changes. Tiny butterfly wings. Leads up to bigger waves.
> 
> Please leave a review on your way out. :D


	4. Chapter 4

"Alright! We're off," Ash cheered, walking down the dirt road with skip in his step. Pikachu swayed back in forth with Ash's stride, smiling.

"Are you always so energetic?" Alain asked, unable to stop from smiling himself. Ash's energy was infectious.

Ash sheepishly grinned. "Yeah, it's exciting to be in a new region. There's always so many things to see, new Pokemon; everything is always so different."

"How many regions have you been to?" Alain asked. Kanto was obvious, Kalos in the near future and apparently Unova was on the list as well. Two (three eventually) was impressive.

"Five," Ash answered. "Six if you want to already include Unova."

"F-five?" Alain asked, surprised. That many? He had no idea that Ash was that well-traveled. That meant Ash was spending roughly a year per region?

"Yeah. Kanto, my home region. We actually did that one twice. Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn and the last one we just came from was Sinnoh," Ash said. "It never gets old, starting a new region. Just an adventure waiting to begin."

"Pika!" Pikachu said in agreement.  _We had lots of fun._

"Where are you from again, Alain?" Ash asked.

"Lumiose City in the Kalos Region," Alain answered.

"Kalos huh?" Ash said. "I've never been to Kalos, maybe we'll go there next."

Alain smiled. "Kalos is very far away from Unova. It was a long plane ride, we have several layovers."

"Yeah Unova is pretty far out of the way from Kanto," Ash agreed.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu pointed into the bushes.  _What's that?_

Ash and Alain stopped, seeing something purple stick out of the bush. "What on earth is that?" Ash asked.

"I don't know," Alain said. "It doesn't look like a Pokemon."

"Who are you calling a Pokemon!" Out of the bushes popped a girl.

Alain and Ash looked at each other, baffled. "We're not?" Alain said. In fact, he had said she didn't look like a Pokemon.

"Do I look like a Pokemon with this cute face?" the girl demanded.

"No. We're sorry?" Ash replied, holding his hands up.

Instantly the girl relaxed. "Right, right. You just need to apologize and it's fine!"

"Who are you?" Alain asked. Strange girl.

"I'm Iris! And you two have a long way to go as Trainers if you think I'm a Pokemon," Iris said. She held out a fruit. "Isn't that right, Axew?"

Axew stuck his head out of her hair, jumping to grab the fruit. "Axew!"  _Yum!_

"Pika Pika-Chu," Pikachu said, waving at the Axew. He jumped off Ash's shoulder and down to the ground to greet Axew.  _Hello Axew._

"Is this a Pikachu?!" Iris said, reaching down to pick up Pikachu. "I had never seen one before!" She cuddled him tightly. "You're so cute!"

"Wait-" Ash started.

It was no use. Pikachu let out a devastating bolt of electricity, shocking Iris. He wiggled free from Iris' grip, darting to hide behind Ash's legs.

"Ah! Iris, are you alright?" Ash said. He pulled out capsule from his backpack, expanding it. Out of it came a case of berries. "Here eat a Cheri Berry. It will help with the paralysis. Sorry, but Pikachu doesn't like being handle that roughly."

Iris accepted the berry with a thankful nod, taking a bite. "Thank you," she said weakly. "I'm sorry Pikachu."

Pikachu flattened his ears. "Chu pikapika pikachu."  _I don't like when people hug me like that._

"I'm Ash, from Pallet Town in Kanto Region," Ash introduced himself.

"And I'm Alain, from Lumiose City in Kalos Region," Alain said.

Iris blinked. "Kanto? Kalos? That's from two different ends of the world."

"We met yesterday through our regional professors," Ash said with a grin. He blinked, realization dawning in his eyes. "Was Professor Sycamore here for the conference too?"

Alain shook his head. "Professor Sycamore researches Mega Evolution. He wanted to look at some older stories of Mega Evolution and since Professor Juniper researches the origins of Pokemon, she seemed like a good starting point."

"Mega Evolutions?" Iris and Ash asked.

"It's a phenomenon we're seeing all across Kalos," Alain explained. He wondered how much was actually safe to say. Ash, he trusted the information to, but Iris was brand new. "When a bond between a trainer and a Pokemon is strong enough, with the aid something we're calling Mega Stones, Pokemon undergo a brief change, usually during battle."

There. That should be good enough.

"Wow," Ash said. "That's neat. Can all Pokemon do Mega Evolutions?"

"We don't know," Alain said. "More and more Pokemon capable of Mega Evolution are being discovered every day. The only consistency so far is that all the Pokemon capable of mega evolving have been in their final stage of evolution."

"Got an example?" Ash asked.

Alain hesitated for a brief moment. "Well, Charmander as Charizard has a Mega Evolution," he said.

Hearing his name, Charmander broke free from his Pokeball. "Charmander!"  _I heard my name!_

"Hey there Charmander," Alain said, giving him scratch. "Do you want to stay out of your ball?"

Frankly, until Charmander had evolved into Charizard, Charmander and later Charmeleon had spent more time out of his ball instead in it. Alain hadn't cared either way, and Charizard only (grudgingly) stayed in his ball more frequently as his large size made it difficult to walk through the dense forests.

"Char!"  _Yes!_

"Okay," Alain agreed. If Charmander wanted to be out, he could be out.

"Hey it's starting to get late," Ash said. "We should probably move a bit further down the path and find a place to camp together. We're also going to need to find food."

"I can show you what's edible!" Iris said. She gave them a sly look. "I get the impression that if I let you pick by yourself, you'll end up getting poisoned."

"I'm not that bad!" Ash proclaimed.

Alain scowled. "I'm not either."

"Do you know what is edible around here?" Iris asked slyly.

"No…" Ash said.

"Then leave it to me!" Iris bounded off, climbing up a tree.

"Are we… are we okay with just letting her do as she pleases?" Alain asked. Even Mairin was less pushy then this and Mairin practically followed him all the way to Hoenn and onto a dangerous battlefield between two legendaries.

"I've found," Ash said resigned, "that it's better to just let them do as they please. Less yelling from girls like her. Let's just look for a place to set up camp."

They found a nice clearing just a few feet away from their original location. The sky beginning to turn a beautiful shade of orange.

Ash pulled out a square capsule, shuffling through the screen and pressing the button. Then in a flash of light, a tent materialized.

"That looks like one of Capsule Corps newest models," Alain remarked. He had seen it in the magazine on the flight over. Capable of storing up to 100 different items in one little capsule. Handy for traveling on the road.

"A treat to myself," Ash said. He drove stakes into the ground, to secure the tent down. "It has enough room for the two of us, if you're willing to share, and I have a spare one if Iris wants to borrow."

"I don't mind," Alain said. "I was ready to throw down just a sleeping bag." He hadn't actually come with a full gear to be camping outside, not having expected to start on a journey with Ash. The sleeping bag was the only thing he had found in Nuvema Town.

"Nice, I like sleeping under the stars too," Ash said. "But new region, until I know what the weather is like that night, I prefer not wake up wet. I'm sure Iris could tell us, but first night."

That made sense. Alain nodded in agreement.

"Back!" Iris said, arriving with arms full of red fruit. "Think this will be enough?"

"Looks like enough," Ash said. "Thanks Iris." He summoned Oshawott and handed both Pikachu and Oshawott a fruit each.

"No problem. Hey, if you two came Nuvema Town, did you see that strange thundercloud yesterday?" Iris asked.

"Yes," Alain said. Charmander picked up his own fruit and was munching away. Tepig let loose a small burst of flame, charring her fruit before munching down on it. "Professor Juniper believed it was caused by Zekrom."

"The legendary?" Iris said excitedly. "That's so cool!"

Ash flinched. "Y-yeah."

Alain could relate to that. Nothing about yesterday was 'cool'. Terrifying was more accurate. Not as bad as facing against Kyogre and Groudon, but they could have seriously gotten hurt yesterday. It wasn't anything to take lightly.

"I want to meet Zekrom!" Iris said. She jumped onto a tree branch, raising her arms to the sky. Axew followed up after her and cheered with her.

"I'm sure you will one day," Ash said. "This world is filled with so many mysterious Pokemon."

"Ah," Alain said. "She fell asleep."

Sure enough, Iris was curled up in the tree branch, Axew snuggled in his arms.

"I guess she doesn't need the tent," Alain said.

Ash leaned back, gazing up at the sky. "It sure is pretty tonight. This is the first time we're seeing these stars."

"Pika pi chu."  _It's always so different._

"From now on, we'll be walking under this sky, huh?" Ash said.

Alain looked up at the sky, feeling something settle deep inside. It was comforting, being outside. And with the stars above, it looked truly limitless. A shooting star passed overhead, leaving behind a trail of white across the dark sky.

"Ah, a shooting star," Alain said.

"Charmander!" Charmander said, jumping to his feet and pointing excitedly.  _Oh, make a wish!_

"I guess that means something good will happen!" Ash said, pumping his fist. "Right Alain?"

Alain smiled. "Right."

May tomorrow bring a bright and hopeful future.

-.-.-

"I wonder where Iris went," Alain asked. When they had woken this morning, Iris had disappeared, leaving no trace of her behind.

"If we run into her, we run into her," Ash said. "In the meantime, we have a new friend!"

Pidove cooed, flying circles around the two of them. Ash had caught Pidove just a few minutes ago, sending Pikachu out to attack.

"Pika!" Pikachu waved.  _It was a great battle!_

Oshawott, insisting he wanted to be out of his Pokeball, climbed up Ash's shoulder and pushed Pikachu off.

Ash pulled Oshawott from his shoulder. "No, Oshawott," he said firmly. "That is not nice. We don't push others like that."

"Osha Oshawott!"  _But I want to ride!_

"Pika Chu.  _Then ask. I would have gotten off._

Pikachu frowned at Oshawott, looking disappointed at him.

"I can't believe you're so excited to catch a Pidove. Just like a child," Iris said, jumping down from the tree. Axew split the fruit he was carrying with Pikachu.

"Hello Iris," Alain greeted.

Ash intervened before Oshawott could do something drastic. "Oshawott," he scolded. "Don't be jealous. We still have extra fruit." He pulled out from his bag and offered half to Oshawott and the other to Pidove. "And Pidove is great, Iris!" He went on to offer another half to Charmander and Tepig.

"I think you two make a good match," Iris said with a light scoff.

"What's that supposed to mean," Alain said coldly.

"Nothing, nothing!" Iris said with a wave.

The whirl of mechanical gears was their only waving before two hands shout of nowhere to grab Pikachu and Axew.

"Pikachu!" Ash said, twirling around.

"Axew!"

Alain blinked, stunned to see that familiar pair of Team Rocket grunts standing before him. They were here too? Wait, come to think of it, Ash had mentioned Team Rocket in his story about what happened at the harbor.

"Give Pikachu back!" Ash shouted.

And they were still trying to take Pikachu? And here Alain had thought that one time he and Charizard helped saved Pikachu was a one time thing. But why were they targeting Pikachu?

"Who are they?" Iris asked.

"So glad you asked," the redhaired woman asked.

Never mind. Alain would ask questions later. "Charmander, Fire Fang! Break Pikachu and Axew free! Tepig, Ember! Keep them back!"

Tepig let out a burst of fire, causing Team Rocket to step back from the scorching heat. Charmander rushed afterwards, jumping upward, fire gathering in his mouth. He chomped down on the mechanical arm, snapping it in half. Pikachu and Axew dropped the ground.

"Charmander, let's finish it off with Dragon Rage!"

Charmander leaned back, energy pulsing and let out loose a stream of bluish fire. It exploded upon hitting Team Rocket, sending them flying into the air.

"Not again!" Team Rocket cried out as they disappeared into the distance.

Pikachu jumped down from the plateau into Ash's open arms. "Pika pipi chu," Pikachu said,  _Thanks for the save!_

Ash hugged him tight. Pikachu nuzzled his cheek to Ash's face, smile wide on his face. "That was amazing, Alain!"

"Ah. It was nothing," Alain said. "Just… who were they?" He hadn't gotten their names last time either.

"It was still amazing," Ash said. "You, Charmander and Tepig moved before even I could and I've been facing them for a long time."

He trailed, off grimacing lightly. "They're Team Rocket. Criminals who go around stealing Pokemon. They've been following me forever, always trying to capture Pikachu."

"Forever, and they haven't been caught?" Alain asked. How long had they been following Ash?

Ash shook his head. "Those three, Jessie, James and Meowth, they're…" He shrugged, trailing off.

"Pikaa," Pikachu agreed.  _It's complicated._

"They're annoying and it's frustrating that they keep trying," Ash said softly. "But those three have a good heart."

"You should report them," Iris said. Axew was back in her arms.

"Yeah…" Ash said non-committedly.

"Well Pikachu is pretty special," Alain said. "I guess I can see why they keep coming after him."

How many Pikachus could take down a Metagross and a Tyranitar? During the finals, Alain hadn't so much sent out Charizard, his ace, early so much as Pikachu forced his hand to. Even then, Pikachu still managed to land several good hits on Charizard. Alain had wondered briefly, what a battle between the two would have looked like, if Pikachu had been at full health.

But that was why fighting against Ash was so exciting.

Both Ash and Pikachu looked at him, an unreadable look in their eyes.

Alain blinked, looking away. The tips of his ears burning. "Was it something it I said?" he asked with a light cough.

Ash smiled. This time it wasn't so energetic, gentler, more tenderly. "Thanks Alain," he said.

"Yeah! Thanks Alain," Iris agreed.

Alain felt flustered. He wasn't- it wasn't. "You- The Pokemon Center should be coming up soon?" he finished instead.

He wasn't used to be thanked like that.

-.-.-

Ash rested his elbows against the railing, staring up at the starry night sky. By the time they had reached the Pokemon Center and waited for Nurse Joy to check over their Pokemon, the sun was low in the sky and they had decided to just stay at the Pokemon Center instead of continuing on into the night. Ash believed in enjoying the rare comfy beds as they came.

"Pikapi."  _Ash_

Ash smiled as Pikachu hopped up to the railing, joining him.

Alain looked back, it seemed like Alain was still in the bathroom. "Alain is certainly something, isn't he?" Ash asked softly.

"Chaa," Pikachu agreed.  _He's nice._

Ash couldn't quite his finger on it, but there was something different about Alain. It hovered at the tip of his senses, something he didn't quite understand.

What was surprising was just the steadfast belief Alain had in Ash. When Professor Sycamore asked Ash to let Alain joined, Ash had been expecting a combination of Gary and Brock. Definitely smart, and definitely caring about Pokemon. That was pretty evident with the way Alain treated his Charmander.

And when Professor Sycamore said Alain was having a hard time, Ash had been expecting moodiness and shyness. While there were signs of that, Alain was turning out to be polite, curious but without usual pushiness Ash often found himself under fire, and surprisingly, a strong trainer despite his claims that he wasn't one.

But what was weird was the way Alain just sided with him. Alain took offense against Trip's barbed insults against Ash; it even popped up against Iris' slightly condescending tone.

Ash had yet to meet someone who just… believed that he could be a strong trainer. His mother, despite her support, had gently rebuffed his dream growing up. It had taken several days or weeks of travel with his previous companions to warm up to the idea that maybe Ash knew what he was doing. Misty and Brock were special cases, seeing as Ash really was an idiot back then. Even Brock, no matter how understanding he was, gave Ash a few exasperated looks back then.

(And to be fair, Ash showed up with Pikachu at a Rock Gym. But seeing as he won his badge with Pikachu, he deserved the benefit of doubt. Type Advantage wasn't everything.)

Iris looked like she would follow the same pattern. But Alain, Alain hadn't even needed any proof, just took Ash at face value that he was something special and that was so strange.

Even Alain's acknowledgement of Pikachu. Sure, Ash knew Pikachu was special. And he meant that in a less than 'Pikachu-is-my-partner' way and more like 'Pikachu's-Thunder-is-capable-of-felling-legendaries' way.

Ash was sure Alain didn't realize that particular tidbit but...people didn't normally acknowledge Pikachu was 'special'. Most who were familiar with Pikachus, would constantly ask why Ash hadn't evolved Pikachu into a Raichu. They were always surprised that Ash continued to win his battles with Pikachu. His friends, even Professor Oak, were so desensitized, they just accepted Pikachu's ridiculous power levels as just something as Pikachu did, no questions asked.

Team Rocket was probably the only ones who did realize it and wasn't that a strange thing that a couple criminals who follow Ash around were the people closest to the truth about Pikachu.

"Chu pikapi pika pi."  _You're thinking too hard._

Ash scratched Pikachu. "Hopefully this region will be quieter."

Pikachu scowled. "Chu chu. Pipika pikachu."  _We already met one legendary. I don't think it will be._

Ash closed his eyes, remembering Team Galactic. "We could use the break," he said softly.

"Pika."  _Absolutely._

"Hey, by the way, don't let Oshawott bully you," Ash said. "I'll keep telling him, but-"

Pikachu waved off Ash's concern, shaking his head. "Pikachu pika. Pipipi pikachu chu."  _I got it. If I have to, I'll break out the Thundershocks. But he's mostly just too young._

"I can always count on you," Ash said with a smile.

-.-.-

Iris hummed. "I'm glad we were able to help Dan and the spa."

Alain jotted down a note in his book. "I had no idea Sandile could wear sunglasses," he said. Some Pokemon had stronger, more visible personality quirks and it was always so interesting to tell them. He sent an image of Sandile off to Professor Sycamore.

They had just come from Dan's family resort, helping them solve the issue with the sand baths and the local Sandiles. It turned out, the Sandile were just trying to help, but it had made for well… an interesting day.

Ash grinned. "But we made a new friend, didn't we?"

"San Sandile San."  _I can't wait for all the fights we're going to get into._ Sandile crawled along the ground.

Alain was also strictly not thinking about the danger Ash had put himself into. "You weren't burn too badly were you?" Alain asked Ash.

"Nope! I'm fine, doesn't even hurt," Ash said. "Ah!" He pointed to the city in front of them. "Striaton City! I can challenge the gym here."

"What are you talking about," Iris said, a teasing lilt to her voice. "This is Accumula Town. Striaton City is the next city."

"Eh?!" Ash said, surprised.

"You didn't even know that? Such a child."

Alain scowled, annoyed. "I'm pretty sure you're the youngest here, Iris."

"No way," Iris said. "I'm thirteen."

"Fifteen," Alain said.

"Fourteen," Ash said.

Iris took a step back in shock. "What! No way!" She shook her head. "A-anyways! There's a Pokemon Battle Club in this city. Do you want to go?"

"Sure! Let's go!" Ash said.

That did sound really interesting.

-.-.-

Ash felt a wave of nausea crash on him as he recognized a Tepig approaching the food that Iris had laid out to trap the strange Pokemon Don George had asked them to help capture. It looked sickly, covered in dirt and so thin Ash could see its ribs. A dirty rope was entangled around its snout and Ash had the terrible realization it probably couldn't eat with that on.

He crept out the brushes as quietly as he could. Tepig noticed him right away, nervously taking a step back.

"Hey," Ash said, cooing quietly.

Tepig took off in a fright.

No! If it escaped, it wouldn't be able to get that rope off. Ash ran off after it, passing by Alain as he did so.

"Ash?"

"It's a Tepig," Ash shouted over his shoulder, more concerned about keeping up with Tepig.

Tepig flew around the corner, skidding to a stop as it realized it was a dead end. It nervously looked back and forth for a way to escape.

Ash approached it as slowly as he could. Arms extended out, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. "It's okay," Ash said softly, trying not to frighten it even more.

Tepig tried to dash forward, trying to pass Ash. Ash's reflexes were quicker, and he quickly scooped it up.

"It's okay," Ash said, trying to calm it.

Tepig just trashed further and let out a dark cloud of soot. Hacking, Ash shook his head, trying to clear the air around him.

"There's nothing to be afraid about. You just want to eat that yummy Pokemon Food, right?" Ash asked, keeping his grip firm but not too tight. Mentally he grimaced. Tepig was so light, lighter than Pikachu. As he feared, Tepig was so thin and gaunt looking, nothing but skin and bones.

Tepig stopped trashing, blinking up at Ash and another wave of nausea hit Ash as he recognized the fear in Tepig's eyes.

Someone had hurt this Tepig.

Not every Tepig was raised in a lab. It wasn't uncommon to find the regional starters in the wild. There were plenty of colonies, if one knew where to look. But given how close this town was Nuvema Town, this was most likely a Tepig from Professor Juniper's lab.

Which meant a  _Trainer_  had done this.

It wasn't accidental tangling of rope in Tepig's snout. This Tepig was honestly afraid of humans.

Ash remembered Charmander, remembered Chimchar and a white-hot anger ran under his skin. He never understood how some Trainers could just abandoned their precious Pokemon.

Tepig trembled in Ash's hands. Ash gently sat him down, tugging on the rope. "I'll get this off," Ash promised.

"Ash."

Ash glanced to the sit, to see Alain had joined him, looking concerned at Tepig. Behind him, Iris stood hand to her mouth as she looked at them in distress.

"I'll let Nurse Joy know," Alain said quietly. "I'll also tell Don George, if I can find him."

"Thanks," Ash said.

"Don't give him a full-sized meal, once you get the rope off," Alain cautioned. "If he hasn't eaten for as long as it looks like, that much food will make him sick. Give him water too. Bring him to the Pokemon Center as soon as you can."

"I'll go get some," Iris said.

"Right," Ash said. Thank goodness Alain knew what he was talking about.

Alain took off. Ash tugged free the rope just as Iris came back with a small bowl of food and water.

"See, Iris got you something yummy to eat," Ash said, letting go of Tepig.

It looked back and forth between the food and Ash.

"Go on," Ash encouraged.

Tepig took a hesitant step forward, sniffing at the food. Once it had judged it safe to eat, it chowed down on it. Just as the bowl was nearly empty, Tepig's eyes began to droop. Ash gently scooped him up.

"Tired, aren't you?" Ash said. "C'mon now, let's get you to the Pokemon Center."

-.-.-

Alain felt… weary. That was a good word. Weary.

Never before had waiting in a Pokemon Center lobby been painful. Iris had pulled her legs to her chest, staring out the window. Axew was curled up in her arms.

Ash stared at the double doors that Tepig had passed through with Nurse Joy, face set in a frown. Pikachu sat next to him, mirroring Ash's expression.

Alain just felt tired. Charmander sat on his lap, his weight and warmth were a comforting promise.

Today was a stark reminder that not every Trainer treated their Pokemon with kindness. Bitterly, Alain wondered how many starters he had helped Professor Sycamore raised had been abandoned on the roadside like trash. He tried not to think about it, choosing to give the new Trainers the benefit of the doubt.

Don George had just left, but not before telling them he had recognized the Tepig. Alain nearly bit his lip at the story of Tepig's abandonment by a Trainer who had thought it was too weak. Just because Tepig had lost when it had the type advantage, that was outrageous-!

' _I have no need for weaklings.'_

Alain drew in a sharp breath. The echo of Lysandre's words, the taunting challenge, the threat of taking away his Key Stone and Charizardite X.

"Char?" Charmander looked up at him, placing a claw on Alain's shoulder.  _What's wrong?_

Alain shook his head, smiling reassuringly at him.

Nurse Joy stepped out into the waiting room. Ash was instantly on his feet, walking over to her.

"How is Tepig?" Ash asked.

Nurse Joy gave him a sad smile. " **He's**  stable," she said. "But I would like to keep him for a few nights more. He's terribly thin. It's good thing you brought him in when you did. I'm not sure how many more days he would have last. He's going to have a long road to recovery."

"If he's willing to come with me, I'll take him," Ash said.

"Ash!" Iris said, jumping out of her seat. "That's too much work!"

"It is a lot of responsibility," Nurse Joy agreed. "It won't be an easy road to rehabilitation."

"I know," Ash said. "I've done it before. Tepig won't be the first abandoned Pokemon I helped."

"If not, Professor Juniper, even Professor Sycamore, can help," Alain said.

"At least let me try," Ash said. "It'll be Tepig's decision either way."

Nurse Joy smiled. "True. It is best to let Tepig decide.

-.-.-

Alain's Tepig stared down into her bowl as if it held all the answers in the world. The round yummy pellets, however, held no answers for the brewing questions on her mind.

' _What's wrong?'_ Charmander asked, munching on his Poke Food.

She flinched, startling out of her thoughts.  _'N-nothing,'_ she said.

Charmander paused his eating.  _'What's wrong?'_ he asked again.

Tepig shuffled, bouncing on her feet, her hooves clattering softly against the floor. She threw a look over to where Alain, Ash and Iris were eating. The humans carried on with their conversation, unaware.  _'Alain's… Alain's a good person, right?'_

' _The best!'_  Charmander said.

' _H-how long have you been with him?'_  Tepig asked.

' _Over three years,'_  Charmander said, waving his arms excitedly.  _'Dad gave me to him when Alain got his Trainer license.'_

' _Three years?'_ Tepig asked. That... that sounded like a long time.  _'Dad?'_  Who was Dad?

' _Yup,_ ' Charmander said. _'Dad is Professor Sycamore. You met him back at the lab.'_

Professor Sycamore… Professor Sycamore. Tepig remembered the man with poofy black hair and a white coat just like Professor Juniper. ' _Why do you call him dad?'_  she asked.

' _Alain thinks of him as dad and I'm Alain's so that makes him dad to me too!'_  Charmander said proudly.

His cheer washed away as a more serious look replaced it. _'But that's not what bothering you right?'_

Tepig shuddered. That was… that was something. Conceptually, she knew the more time a Pokemon spent around humans, the wiser they got. Professor Juniper's Minccino seemed to wise, always with a word of encouragement. Minccino could always explain those foreign concepts that didn't really make sense whenever Professor Juniper tried to explain it. Even Snivy, who had been a bit older than her, had grasped concepts like years and months faster.

And there was… the Tepig they had met today. She remembered him, fuzzily. He had left the lab several… months (? She was sure the term was months) ago.

Tepig had been abandoned because he was too weak.

She… didn't like fighting. It was instinctual, but if she had the option, she didn't really like fighting. It was okay against those bad guys Team Rocket, but she thought about the Battle Club and the way Ash and Pikachu had jumped quickly into a fight and she didn't like it.

' _Alain wouldn't… abandon me because I'm weak right?'_  Tepig asked.

' _No,'_  Charmander said without hesitation.  _'He will help you get stronger instead.'_

' _W-what if I don't like to f-fight?'_  Tepig asked shamefully, looking down.

' _Alain's not a Trainer,'_  Charmander said.  _'And even if he was, he won't make you fight if you don't want to.'_

' _B-but…'_

"Charmander!"  _'Alain!'_

Before she could stop him, Charmander went running over to Alain. Fear gripped her heart; what was Charmander doing? Tepig rushed forward, butting Charmander in the stomach but he sidestepped her.

"Charmander? Tepig?" Alain asked, looking down at them.

' _Tell her she doesn't have to.'_  Charmander waved his arms, pantomiming out an explanation.

Shame washed over Tepig and she kicked the ground. She had been so happy Alain had picked her. He seemed the nicest, the calmest. Something about Trip was unsettling and Ash was just… energetic. Now Alain was going to find out and she was going to be sent back to the lab or worst abandoned like that other Tepig!

"Pika?" Pikachu lean over from the table edge where he had been sitting to look down at them. ' _What's wrong?'_

' _Tepig doesn't want to fight. I'm trying to get Alain to understand that,'_ Charmander said.

' _What kind of Pokemon are you that you don't want to fight,'_  Oshawott scoffed.  _'You're just scared.'_

Tepig let out a flare of embers. It wasn't because she was scared!

"Tepig?" Alain asked.

' _Don't be like that, Oshawott. Tepig has her reasons.'_ Pikachu said.  _'Ash!'_

"I think Charmander is saying Tepig doesn't like fighting?' Ash said, looking at Pikachu for confirmation. Pikachu nodded.

The rest of the Pokemon stared at Pikachu in shock.

' _How!?'_  Charmander asked.  _'All you said was his name!'_

Pikachu smiled.  _'That's how close Ash and I are.'_

Tepig nervously looked at Alain, afraid of his reaction.

"Is that so?" Alain asked. He gave her a friendly pat. "That's fine, Tepig. I'm not a Trainer like Ash is. You don't have to fight if you don't want to. All I ask is that you keep training so you're strong enough to defend yourself, in case someone like Team Rocket comes by."

...That was fair. Tepig wouldn't want to be kidnap like Pikachu and Axew almost were. And if that meant training enough to be able to get free, she could do that.

' _See, I told you,'_  Charmander said, smugly.  _'But Alain would make a great Trainer if he tried it.'_

Tepig ignored him and launched herself into Alain's arms. She was so happy she had an understanding Trainer.

Coming with Alain was the best decision she had made.

-.-.-

"An abandoned Tepig, I see," Professor Sycamore said. Despite the tiny hologram image, Alain could see the way he furrowed his brow, a frown working its way onto his face.

"Yeah," Alain said, clutching his phone a little tighter.

"I'll go over the records with Professor Juniper," Professor Sycamore said. "If we can figure out which trainer it is, we can report them to the police for abandonment and neglect, especially since Tepig is in such a bad condition."

"Thanks," Alain said. He was sure that Professor Sycamore and Professor Juniper would figure it out. Then it would be justice for Tepig.

"And how are you holding up?" Professor Sycamore said gently. "It's been about a week."

"It's… different," Alain said.

Even from before, it was different. Back then, before Mairin, it was just Alain and Charmander traveling. They went at their own pace, went looking for ruins instead of aiming for cities.

But this time, he had Ash and Iris. They were traveling slower, and it was  _different_. Ash continued to be amazing. Iris… despite Alain's reservations, was helpful. She had the background knowledge of someone who grew up in Unova which was great.

"I don't like Iris' condensing tone," Alain said firmly. "She keeps calling Ash a kid. She's the youngest of the three of us."

Professor Sycamore laughed. "And Ash?" he asked.

"Ash is passionate," Alain said. "He's willing to take Tepig in."

"Oh? That isn't an easy job to rehabilitate a Pokemon," Professor Sycamore said.

"He said it wouldn't be the first time," Alain said. He wondered about the story behind those words.

"Then I'm sure he will do a fine job," Professor Sycamore said.

"Charmander is enjoying the trip. He's taking every chance to be out of his Pokeball. I think he may evolve soon," Alain said, rambling on. It would really take one good battle to push Charmander into his next stage, if his partner wanted to do so. Which was most likely. Alain had gotten that impression from him. Plus, despite what he told Tepig, Alain wouldn't mind… training again. Getting strong enough to face Ash again.

(And with Team Flare lurking around the corner, he would have to start building a team strong enough to handle them.)

"My Tepig doesn't want to fight though which is fine," Alain said. "I guess today's events weighed pretty heavily on her mind, with the other Tepig."

"I imagine," Professor Sycamore agreed. "Let Ash know if he needs anything, we'll be happy to help."

"I will," Alain said. "Did you find anything with Professor Juniper?"

"There are rumors about a Mega Rayquaza," Professor Sycamore said excitedly. "It predates even the legend back in Kalos with Lucario."

Alain mentally winced, remembering the roar of Mega Rayquaza. The sizzling heat as Draco Meteor rained down on them and how overwhelming power. Normal Rayquaza was already a legendary of immense power, adding in Mega Evolution just boosted that power to even crazier levels.

He had let the mission drive him, let it blind him and Charizard had nearly died, he had nearly died, Mairin got mixed up in-!

"-lain? Alain?"

Alain jolted of his thoughts. "A-ah sorry," he quickly apologized, swallowing the guilt.

Professor Sycamore gave him a sad but understanding smile. "It's fine."

He was still worrying the professor.

"So how long will you be in Accumula Town?" Professor Sycamore asked.

"Until day after tomorrow," Alain answered, grabbing onto the change of subject. "Nurse Joy won't release Tepig before that."

Alain heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Pikachu letting a content 'Chaa'. It looked like Ash was done with his shower. "I have to go," Alain said.

Professor Sycamore nodded. "Take care and stay safe, Alain. Good night."

"I will, you too," Alain said. "Good night."

The call ended, the hologram image of Professor Sycamore fading away just as Ash opened the door. Pikachu was resting on his head, looking blissed out.

"Pikachu sure looks happy," Alain said.

Ash laughed, gently lifting his partner and placing him on the bed. "Yeah. I gave him a real good wash and brushing plus a massage. It normally makes him all gooey like melted chocolate."

"Professor Sycamore said if you need any help with Tepig, let him and Professor Juniper know. They'll be happy to help," Alain said. "They'll also look into records to see if they can figure out which Trainer Tepig used to formerly belonged to, so they can press charges. Showing the Trainer pictures to Tepig would be the easiest but…"

"There's no telling how Tepig will react," Ash said. "Not an option right now at least."

"Right," Alain said.

Ash scowled. "I can't believe there are Trainers who would abandon their precious Pokemon."

Alain didn't say anything. He could believe it, could even understand it. Sure, he hadn't known the reason why, but Lysandre and his minions, they could often leave with one type of Pokemon and come back with another and Alain had never understood why. At least until Lysandre had told him there was no need for weaklings in Team Flare.

"I guess there are just some people like that," Alain said instead. "People who believe that strength is the most important thing."

"That sounds like something Paul would agree with," Ash said bitterly.

"Paul?"

Ash flinched. He gave Alain a wary look that looked so foreign on him. It didn't match up with Ash's normally energetic personality.

Not meeting Alain in the eye, Ash looked out the window. "Paul was my rival in Sinnoh," he said. "He… was a very effective trainer. Strong too. An experienced trainer who had traveled through Hoenn, Johto and Kanto before arriving in Sinnoh."

"Anyways, Paul has… this habit," Ash said, struggling to get the words out. "He dislikes weak Pokemon and releases them if they do not meet his expectations. He checks what moves they know, creates harsh training schedules, never offers praises, and only demands that they get stronger."

That… that was a plausible training method. In fact, as far as Alain knew, it was the recommended training method that many serious Trainers subscribe to. It was approved by the leagues, in nearly handbook about training strategy, the advice countless people preached. Paul's method, especially the praise part, sounded harsher than it needed to be, but still a plausible training method.

It was a method that Alain himself had somewhat subscribed to, though more out necessity than desire. He had needed heavy hitters to complete his mission, just due to the danger that was involved, so he purposely didn't catch Pokemon that didn't have the kind of firepower he needed. That was how he ended up with ridiculously powerful Pokemon like Metagross. And when he didn't a full team to complete with in League, Lysandre had supplied the Pokemon, all fully trained and ready to go, to fill gaps in his team.

As a result, he hadn't… exactly bonded with his previous Pokemon team. Charizard was the only one Alain had bonded with, just out the sheer amount of time spent they spent together, but Alain had been under impression that was because Charmander had been his starter whom he had raised from his egg. The ability to mega evolve due to their bond had been bonus.

(Briefly in the back of his head, Alain had wondered what would have happened if he had been given Metagrossite instead. He hated that he didn't have a clear answer. He certainly wouldn't abandon Charizard, but… would he have spent more time with Metagross instead to encourage a bond strong enough to mega evolve, leaving Charizard on the side, somewhat neglected?)

But yes, just like this Paul character, Alain used to create harsh training schedules and asked that his team step up to them. With a note of discomfort, he didn't actually know if they actually liked it or were just following orders. The only one he did know was Charizard who had gladly threw himself into getting stronger with pride.

Alain didn't really like this bit of self-reflection.

"It was frustrating," Ash said, continuing on, ignorant of Alain's thoughts. "Because people would praise him for how strong he was. Paul was the perfect representation of what a serious Trainer aiming for the Champion position looked like."

"You don't agree," Alain said.

"No," Ash said. "Iris will call this way of thinking childish, but I've always believed that believing in your Pokemon is far more important. Type Advantage isn't everything. You can't just win on strength. You can't win on passion either, but what's the point of strength, if it destroys yourself in the process?"

Alain choked, guilt drowning him. Because that was exactly what he did to himself. So, taken in by the idea of being the strongest to protect everyone only he had  _ **failed**_  to protect anything-

"Alain?" Ash asked.

Alain took a fortifying breath. "You have a point," he said, voice shaky.

Ash really did. Type Advantage meant nothing sometimes. Pikachu packed a punch harder than almost all of Alain's previous team. He could proudly point out that Charizard had been at a disadvantage against Greninja and still came out on top.

Ash gave him a puzzling look, but let it go. "I believe in my Pokemon. There are different types of strengths and you can learn from losing too," Ash said. "I can… respect Paul as a trainer, but as someone who loves Pokemon, I can could never approve of his methods. We disagree with on that point."

The dark bitter tone in Ash's voice was odd to hear. Alain had never heard it before, it was jarring, not matching with his mental image of Ash.

"You really don't like him, do you?" Alain asked.

"It's- It's complicated," Ash said. "He seemed to lighten a little after League. But yeah…" He trailed off with a faraway look in his eye.

"Anyways," Ash said. "Paul had a Chimchar."

Alain's stomach dropped. He didn't like the sound of this.

"Chimchar is a strong capable Pokemon. It had an extremely powerful Flame Wheel attack that Paul was impressed with. But it wasn't something Chimchar would do on a regular basis. In fact, Chimchar had done it previously only because he was being chased a group of wild Zangoose that left him terrified of all Zangoose," Ash said.

"So, Paul threw him into a harsh training regime, that involved having his Pokemon attacking Chimchar in hope so drawing out that power. When I found out about it, I intervened and took Chimchar to the Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy told Paul and Chimchar would be unable to battle." Ash clenched his fist tight. "Paul ignored that warning."

Alain drew in a sharp breath. That was too extreme. There was pushing each other to your limits and going beyond, but this sounded far too much like abuse.

"We were in Hearthome City for a Tag Battle Competition and I was teamed up with Paul. The opponent has a Zangoose that caused Chimchar to freeze up," Ash said, softer, sadder. "Once Paul realized that Chimchar still couldn't summon that power, he just stopped giving Chimchar orders. After the competition, Paul released Chimchar."

"What did you do?" Alain asked.

"I asked if Chimchar wanted to come with me," Ash said. "It was rough. Chimchar didn't relax for a long time, remembering the long-lasting impacts being in Paul's care and kept… expecting me to treat him the same. He wasn't used to being treated with kindness and patience. It took a while for him to get over his fear of Zangoose and there were a couple times where he lost control, but it was fine."

"Where is he now?" Alain asked. Chimchar wasn't with Ash in Kalos; Alain didn't even know Ash had a Chimchar.

Ash pulled out his phone, pulling up an image and handing it to Alain. Alain took it, blinking in surprise as he recognized the Pokemon.

"He evolved into an Infernape?" Alain asked, looking in awe at the picture of Ash and Infernape, arms linked around each other's necks.

"Strong enough to win against four of Paul's Pokemon at League," Ash said smugly. "Right now, he's enjoying a break at Professor Oak's ranch."

He took the phone back from Alain. "Paul and I butted head over training strategy many times. Admittedly, the rest of his Pokemon thrive under his training regime, but Infernape is more than enough proof to me that it's better to raise your Pokemon with love and care." He gave Alain a wry smile. "Does that make me an idiot?"

"No," Alain answered immediately. He knew, had proof, had faced off against Ash, witness the love and care Ash poured into his Pokemon: his Pikachu capable of felling Pokemon ten times stronger than him, his Bulbasaur with that beautiful Solarbeam, Ash-Greninja with his unique bond and Infernape who had grown strong enough to defeat his previous trainer's prized Pokemon.

Ash stared at him surprised.

"Why is that surprising?" Alain asked. Ash was practically living proof.

Tilting his head, Ash said slowly, "Paul… is a perfect representation of a standard strong Trainer."

Oh.  _Oh_. Alain could draw the parallels. Paul was perfect representation of a standard strong Trainer… which made Ash the unorthodox one. Admittedly, true but...

"Most people would say I'm being silly," Ash said, words still coming out slow and measured. "It's fine if you want to raise your Pokemon with love and care, but that's something for breeders or casual trainers. Trainers aiming for League, for the Champion's position, need to be made of stern of stuff, need to be more focused on power. There's no room for kindness, no room for weakness."

Alain hated that it sounded like Ash was reciting those words like reading them from a book, words hollow and empty.

"Why do you think that's okay?" Ash asked.

Alain mentally flailed. It wasn't like he could tell Ash that he knew exactly how powerful Ash was because they had battled against each other. If Charizard wasn't able to mega evolve they would have los- wait, Mega Evolution.

"Mega Evolution," Alain said. "While we're still researching it, we know that stronger the bond is between a Pokemon and its Trainer, the more powerful Mega Evolution is. And you can't get a strong bond with a Pokemon if you don't raise them with love and care."

Technically, Professor Sycamore probably didn't know that, but it was true.

Ash looked at him with a starry look in his eyes. "That sounds amazing."

"Yeah," Alain agreed. "So Tepig?"

"I'll ask if he wants to come with us tomorrow, assuming Nurse Joy let me see him," Ash said.

"Based on what you said about Chimchar, I think you'll do great in helping him," Alain said.

Ash smiled. "Thanks Alain."

-.-.-

-Two Days Later-

"There we go," Iris said, pointing ahead. The three of them stepped out the forest, looking down the road.

Ash broke out in a full grin. Pikachu grinned just as widely, brimming with excitement. "Is that?" Ash asked.

"Yup," Iris said. "Welcome to Striaton City."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Pikachu's Crazy Life: 3 vs Alain: 2
> 
> Woot! And now we finally got the ball rolling.
> 
> There's a lot going on in this chapter. Alain gets to meet Team Rocket again (which is... confusing to him lmao). Tepig FEELS everywhere. And as the Sandile episode shows, I won't be rewriting every single episode. That's boring. You can assume, if I skip the the episode, it more or less went down like canon just with Alain somewhere. I'll cover any major divergence. Like picking up Sandile... (Ash... I can't believe Sandile followed you for 60 episodes before you caught him. Oshawott for three episodes was bad enough. Welcome to Unova, the region where Pokemon stalk you.)
> 
> Eventually though, we'll derail enough that aside from the order of gyms and some of the big events (I'll probably do episodes/movies where they meet legendaries for example) we won't be following the anime at all ahaha. That's the goal at least.
> 
> As shown, Ash isn't quite the sunshine child he acts like he is. Peeking into his head is interesting. The contrast between Paul and Ash was always fascinating because in a lot of ways, Paul isn't wrong. He walks that thin line and you can argue whether his treatment of Chimchar was training or abuse. But, Paul is basically the video game trainer most of us are in RL when we play Pokemon, the one that cares if we have the best IVs and abilities, discarding old moves for stronger ones, grinding and leveling up to beat gyms, breeding to get strong Pokemon, etc. Ash is more like your 10 year old self who just got Pokemon for the first time and is ride or die with his starter, no matter how poor their stats are. Neither are wrong and that's what makes the comparison between the two interesting.
> 
> * * *
> 
>  
> 
> To answer some questions.
> 
> **Is there ships?**  Nothing currently planned.  
> 
> **Will Ash be smarter?**  Well, he won't be making all those newbie mistakes that he always does at the beginning of every new region. If he does, it's not for the reason you think. (You could argue it's stupid that Ash throws a Pokeball without even weakening the Pokemon... but with Ash, sometimes that's a legitimate strategy.) 
> 
> **Is Ash still the Chosen One?**  Yes
> 
> **Are you doing the movies?**  That's where all the world saving fun is, so yes lol
> 
> * * *
> 
>  
> 
> Alright, onward to the first gym and one of our big divergences.
> 
> Please leave a review on your way out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, thank you everyone for your support. ;3; It means the world to me.
> 
> So glad you're all suffering with me.

If you had told Tepig that this would have been his life right now, he wouldn't have believed you. Like most Pokemon from the labs, he had lofty dreams meeting his Trainer, going off on adventures, getting stronger, evolving, and being happy. It would have been perfect, amazing, and wonderful.

And then he learned how harsh reality was. He was abandoned for being too weak. No matter how much he pleaded, still Shamus walked away. Tepig tried to follow after him, as soon as the rope had slacken, he had taken off after Shamus. The fear blinded him, panic alight in his heart, until he couldn't scream because that rope had been tangled around his snout.

Tepig ran and ran, looking everywhere for Shamus and couldn't find him. The night air was so cold, wind howling and the dark shadows seemed so long. For the first time, Tepig couldn't return to his Pokeball, couldn't seek shelter somewhere warm, couldn't rely on anyone.

It was cold. It was scary. It was dark. Then the hunger sunk in. No matter how hard Tepig scratched at the rope, he couldn't untangle it. His stomach hurt so much; water didn't fill his stomach. He wandered around the city, looking for Shamus, looking for food.

There was yelling, sharp angry words and heavy footsteps. He let his nose follow him to some trashcans only for a glass bottle to nearly miss him. Tepig swore to not go near that place again.

Eventually his inner fire dwindled, so weak all he could blow out was black soot. It got hard to move, his limbs feeling heavy like steel yet weaker than noodles. His vision was blurry. Tepig was sure he was going to die, forgotten, abandoned.

Then Ash came.

It still felt like a dream. Ash came and untied the rope around his snout. Ash gave him food, stayed with him at the Pokemon Center. Ash asked if Tepig wanted to come with him.

Tepig was  _wanted_. He was  _ **needed**_.

Which was why, he was going to win this battle for against Cilan's Pansage for Ash.

"Ember!" Ash called out.

Tepig summoned up the fire, blowing it out. It was still on the weak side, not as strong as it could have been, but he was going to give it his all.

"Bullet Seed!" Cilan said.

Pansage opened his mouth, letting loose a rain of bullets.

"Dodge Tepig!"

Tepig jumped and ducked and grit his teeth as the last bullet still managed to hit. He shook it off, standing up.

"Tepig! You're doing great! Tail Whip! Then Ember!" Ash said.

Tepig rushed forward, fire building in his snout. He used his tail to sweep at Pansage's feet, temporary knocking the grass Pokemon off his feet. Tepig let loose his Ember, pouring as much power as he could in it.

Pansage fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Winner, Ash and Tepig," Chili announced.

Tepig let out a happy squee, running over to Ash. "Te tepig!"  _Did you see?_

Ash kneeled down to pet him. "Good job, Tepig. You did well."

Tepig beamed. He was strong. He was needed. Ash was happy. This was good.

-.-.-

Ash returned Tepig to his ball.

"Congratulation. You have won the Trio Badge," Cilan said, approaching with badge. "Sandile against Pansear, Oshawott against Panpour and lastly Tepig against Pansage, you swept all three of us."

Ash laughed lightly. "Thank you for indulging me and letting me fight against all three of you."

Cilan winked. "Admittedly it isn't often we find Trainers who are passionate about battling. Being so closed to Professor Juniper's lab, we're often testing new trainers, but you're an old hand at this, aren't you?"

Ash grinned. "You asked how many Unova badges I had, not how many I had in total. That said, all my Pokemon except for Pikachu have only been with me for a few days."

Cilan's eyebrows raised in surprised. "Really? Your bond with them was frail but strong. A secret hidden flavor." He looked at Pikachu perched on Ash's shoulder. "You and Pikachu present a flavor that looks deceptively simple, but has a symphony of flavors. Pikachu could have swept Pansear, Panpour and Pansage by himself, couldn't he?"

Ash smiled secretively. Perhaps. You could never know for sure without having the battle, but… it was an accurate assessment.

"Keep your secret recipe," Cilan said with a laugh. "Good luck with league. We look forward to seeing how far you can go."

"Thank you!" Ash said.

-.-.-

"Good job, Ash," Alain said. Watching Ash battle was a treat.

"Thanks Alain," Ash said.

"I guess you are pretty good," Iris conceded. "You could have used Pikachu against Panpour."

"Pikachu doesn't need the extra training," Ash said mildly. "Oshawott does."

They walked out of the Pokemon Center and encountered the entire city over in magenta mist.

"What on earth?" Iris asked.

"Oh dear! Oh no!"

They turned just in time to see woman in a white coat and pink Pokemon floating after her. She came to a stop right in front of them, grimly looking down the street. "This is bad," she said.

"Is everything alright?" Ash asked, reaching out. "Do you know what this pink stuff is?"

The woman jumped. "A-ah. Y-yes. I'm Professor Fennel," she said with a polite bow. "This is my partner Munna. This is magenta mist is Dream Mist, created by Musharna. The key to solving this mystery of this case should be located at the Dreamyard."

"Attention everyone!" A loud voice blared over the city speakers. "This is an official state of emergency. Please state indoors."

"We can help," Ash said. "Just lead the way."

Professor Fennel nodded. "Thank you." She waved down the passing police car. "We may need your help."

-.-.-

"The Dreamyard is a set of ruins on the outskirts of city," Professor Fennel said. "It's the remains of Pokemon Energy Laboratory. Research was being done on Musharna's smoke to see if could be used for clean energy. I was part of that team."

"However," she said with a heavy sigh. "People started showing up, claiming they had a right to that energy. Their greedy thoughts gave Musharna nightmares, causing pain. There was an explosion, the building was instantly destroyed. Only myself, Munna and two other scientists survived."

They pulled up into ruins, the thick mist covered the crumbling builds.

"It's Musharna," Professor Fennel said confidently, as they climbed out of the car.

"Careful Pikachu," Ash said, placing his hat on Pikachu. "I'm not sure if it will work, but I don't want you to fall to the Dream Mist."

"We should use caution in case it hits us as well," Alain warned.

"What is that?" Iris asked, pointing.

There looming in the distance was a strange machine. Whirling, it looked like a vacuum sucking in the Dream Mist.

"It's taking in the Dream Mist?" Professor Fennel asked, surprised. "Why?"

"Over there!" Iris said.

She pointed to the two people standing in the shadow. They were dressed in gray colors with a black vest and beret hat. The bottom of their faces obscured by black masks.

"Who are you?" Office Jenny shouted.

"Hmph," the female said. "Barret, we have company."

"I see them, Aldith," Barret responded. He threw a Pokeball. "Magnezone! Magnet Bomb!"

Magnezone materialized, blue light shimmering over its body and it let loose several balls of light.

"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder, charging up and letting loose a Thunderbolt. With a rolling clap, it collided with Magnezone's Magnet Bomb.

A pink glow washed over the area, energy rising from the ground.

"What is this?" Barret shouted.

"It's Musharna!" Professor Fennel said.

"Musharna?" Barret said, eyes narrowing. "So that's the source."

A ball of white light appeared, hovering in the air. The energy in the air surged, growing brighter and brighter. A flash blinded them all. As soon it died down, there was Musharna, hovering in the air.

"Musharna!" Professor Fennel said.

"Magnezone! Supersonic!" Barret called. "Capture that Musharna!"

Magnezone let out a wailing high pitched screech causing everyone to cover their ears. Musharna let out a wail of pain.

"Pikachu! Volt Tackle!"

Alain threw out Charmander's Pokeball. "Charmander, use Dragon Rage!"

Pikachu took off in a yellow blur, aiming straight for the machine as Charmander let loose Dragon Rage.

"Magnezone, Magnet Bullet!" Barret ordered.

"Munna! Use Psybeam!" Professor Fennel said. Munna glowed briefly, energy gathering at the tip of its nose, before firing away a bright purple beam of energy. The dust kicked up as it collided together with Magnet Bullet.

Pikachu blitz through the dust, ramming straight into the machine, causing it exploded. Charmander's Dragon Rage slammed into Magnezone, knocking him back, spinning.

"Che. Mangezone, use Supersonic!" Barret ordered.

Everyone braced themselves again as the high pitched scream echoed through the area. When they opened their eyes, Barret and Magnezone were gone.

"Where did they go?" Officer Jenny asked.

"Looks like they got away," Iris said.

"Musharna!" Professor Fennel held out her arms. Musharna floated down into her arms.

"Well, at least Musharna was reunited with Professor Fennel," Ash said, looking fondly at the two.

"But who were those people?" Alain asked.

"Good question," Officer Jenny said. "But don't worry about it. I'll file the report and we'll keep hunting them down. Thank you for your hard work today."

"Happy to help," Ash said. Pikachu echoed his agreement.

-.-.-.-

"Hmph." Barret landed on the ground, glancing back to make sure none of those kids were following him.

"Any trouble?" Aldith asked, stepping out from behind a tree.

"None," Barret said. "Did you secure it?"

"Of course."

Fools. No one had even seen Aldith slip away. Well, that was the point.

"Good. Let's go. I learned something interesting."

-.-.-

Alain gave Charmander a fond scratch before giving the food in the pan a quick stir. They had left Striaton City, bidding goodbye to Professor Fennel, Munna and Musharna, but not before restocking and picking up multiple new supplies.

As a result, Alain now had a cooking set and they didn't have to rely on foraging for meals. It also became apparent that Alain's meager cooking skills placed him as the most skilled of the group. Ash sheepishly admitted that he could handle only one or two dishes and Iris looked at them blankly.

(Thank goodness Sophie taught him some of her dishes and he picked up a couple from when he was traveling by himself.)

Alain didn't mind too much. He couldn't boast a wide range of recipes, but well, it was enough. It oddly wasn't too much different than home. Professor Sycamore couldn't exactly be trusted in the kitchen, so most of the cooking was split between Sophie, Cosette and Alain anyways. At least, when they weren't on a research binge and doing take out all the time. (But then Professor Sycamore would remember Alain was a growing boy, screech to a halt and attempt to cook a healthy meal which more times ended in a disaster and left them eating even more take out while the kitchen was repaired.)

(Come to think of it, Sophie singlehandedly had ensured that Alain had good meals growing up. And managed to teach Professor Sycamore enough that he had gone from burning boiling water to being able to handle cooking frozen pizza that often came out a little too burnt. Sophie was a miracle worker.)

"Hey Charmander?" Alain asked. "Do you want to evolve?"

"Char!" Charmander jumped in glee.  _Yes!_

Alain laughed. "Someone is excited. I think you're close to evolving?"

Charmander nodded, puffing out his chest. "Charmander char char."  _I can feel it._

Alain nodded. "We'll work on it then."

"Char!"  _YES!_

At that moment, Ash came stumbling out of the tall grass.

"There are you Ash," Alain said. "Lunch is ju- what happened?!"

Ash was covered in scratches, minor scrapes up his arms. Dark mud stains covered his jeans and a large portion of his jacket. Pikachu was equally dirty, covered in mud.

"You were only gone for no more than five minutes," Alain said. Ash had run off into grass, saying something about seeing a cool Pokemon and Alain couldn't leave the fire or the food to go after him.

Ash gave him a beaming smile. "I made a new friend," he said. He pulled out a Pokeball. "Say hello to Snivy."

The small snake like Pokemon appeared. "Snivy!"  _Greetings._

"Ah! So cute," Iris said. "Welcome to the group, Snivy."

Axew jumped out of Iris' hair to greet Snivy. Snivy blinked at them, head tilting in curiosity.

"Hello Snivy," Alain said, before turning his attention back to Ash. "Are you hurt?"

Ash shook his head. "Nope! I'm good."

"Pikachu, is Ash hurt?" Alain asked.

Pikachu nodded his head. "Pika! Pikapi pipi pikachu." _Yes. Ash took one of Snivy's attacks to his back._

Alain didn't quite Pikachu's full meaning, but the positive nod was enough.

"Traitor," Ash grumbled, looking down at this partner.

Pikachu gave him a light shock.

"Please don't make it worst, Pikachu," Alain said. He pulled out the first aid kit. Delia had warned him, but honestly he didn't think Ash was this bad. In the future (? not future?) Ash hadn't seem that reckless when they met, but clearly Alain had been underestimating him.

What else did he not know about Ash?

-.-.-

' _So what is our Trainer like?'_  Snivy asked. So these were her new teammates. She had faced against most of them, but several she was only meeting now. As she understood, they belong to the other humans traveling with her Trainer.

' _He's nice,'_  Pidove said, flapping her wings to settle on the ground next to Snivy.  _'A bit strange, but nice.'_

' _Pikachu is the one to ask though,'_  Sandile said.  _'He's been with Ash the longest.'_

Snivy turned to Pikachu.  _'Pikachu?'_  she asked.

Pikachu gave her long look. Snivy was surprised how wise he now looked. A battle was no time to examine those kind of things. But she had thought he was a fresh Starter given the way she knocked him back with her vine whips. Though, now that she thought about it, Pikachu had shaken off those Vine Whips pretty fast. Snivy knew she was strong for her age and yet Pikachu had shaken off that Vine Whip like nothing.

' _Ash is… Ash,'_  Pikachu said.  _'He's stubborn to a fault, unwilling to give up, always ready to help others and will be your strongest supporter.'_

Pikachu looked over to where Alain was scolding Ash who just sheepishly laughed.

' _If you're asking formerly, in terms of battle and practice, Ash is a bit unorthodox. He'll actively engage with you, challenge you to think outside of the box to pull off moves and combos unlike before,'_  Pikachu said.  _'We're a little crazy about battling, honestly.'_

' _Good. Battling is what we Pokemon do,'_ Snivy said.  _'And the other two?'_

' _Iris and I are on journey to be a Dragon Master!'_  Axew said excitedly.

' _Alain isn't a Trainer,'_  Charmander said.  _'He's a Professor Assistant!'_

' _That's what makes Ash the better one,'_  Oshawott said, puffing out his chest.

Charmander growled.  _'Alain would make a great Trainer!'_  he protested.  _'He just chooses not to!'_

' _Yeah!'_  Alain's Tepig said.

Oshawott scoffed, waving his flipper.  _'You don't count, Tepig. You don't even want to fight. Ash is going to make me the strongest Pokemon ever. You two can continue to play in a lab.'_

Snivy frowned, recognizing a fight about to break out. But before anything could happen, Pikachu's tail shimmered silver for a second and he slammed his tail down, creating a small crater in the ground.

' _That's enough, Oshawott,'_ Pikachu scolded, voice stern.  _'You don't recognize it, but Alain has the markings of a great trainer. And Tepig isn't weak for not wanting to fight. Sometimes the greater strength is knowing when not to fight. Power isn't everything. Strong is subjective.'_

Oshawott scowled.  _'What do you know?'_

' _I know many things. I know Ash, and Alain too, are good Trainers,'_ Pikachu said.  _'They will help you where you want to go. If you want to become strong, if you want to evolve, if you don't want to evolve, if you don't want to fight. I promise you, they will help you. And I'm sure Iris is the same too.'_

He looked them all straight in the eyes.  _'And our job is to do our best to help them. As just Ash, Alain and Iris will help us grow, we will help them as well.'_

His expression turned fond.  _'That's what it means to be a family.'_

' _A family?'_  Snivy asked with a touch of disbelief.

' _A family, a team, friends,'_  Pikachu said.  _'How ever you want to define us as. But we won't give up you and we trust you to do the same. We keep walking together to tomorrow. Ash loves us, just as Alain loves Tepig and Charmander and Iris loves Axew. We love them back don't we?'_

There were nods all around.

' _So Oshawott, there's no need to rush,'_  Pikachu said. He looked over at Ash's Tepig.  _'Tepig there's not need to worry. We'll make it there in due time.'_

"Pikachu?" Ash approached with concerned on his face.

"Chaa," Pikachu said, waving him off. _We're good._

Ash nodded, accepting his response. "Alain said lunch is ready."

The group of Pokemon cheered, rushing forward. Ash laughed, following after them.

Snivy smiled, following after them.. A family… That sounded promising.

-.-.-

Pikachu had decided Alain was a strange kid. In a good way. He was very much like Ash, good heart and kind hands.

Probably a bit smarter than his partner, since Alain worried over Ash the same way Brock used to. (That was good, Pikachu was a little worried how that would go once Brock had parted ways with them. There were just some things Pikachu couldn't do, that Brock and hopefully now Alain, could. Like taking care of Ash's wounds.)

Silly Ash. Pikachu could have taken those hits from Snivy. Ash might shake off Pikachu's shocks all the time, but humans were just more frail than Pokemon. But those moments just reaffirmed Pikachu's love for his partner.

Ash probably didn't recognize it, but Pikachu saw the signs of battleshock in Alain. (It was hard not too. Ash had them, Pikachu had them, Pikachu knew what to look for.) It was hard to imagine what a Professor Assistant saw that scarred him so hard like that; did Professor Assistants get into as much trouble as Ash did?

Might be the reason why Alain seemed to be so understanding of Ash and Pikachu. Iris was far less tolerant, but as far as Pikachu could tell, she was a normal human.

Pikachu didn't… quite approve, but understood why Ash did it, why Ash didn't really talk about the whole solving the world, Chosen One, and strange oddity that was their life. It was a mix of things, of everyone trying to bring down Ash's ego when he was younger (he did have quite a boasting habit when they first started on their journey), of the increasing fact that all those strange weird things that seemed so shocking at first became  _normal_  until it was almost a fact of life. Was Pikachu surprised that they met Zekrom when they arrived in Unova? No, not really. (And he should have known better than to try and send back a warning shock.) In fact, the only mildly surprising thing was that Zekrom showed up on the first day.

(Then again, that thing with Ho-Oh on their first day…)

Eventually, their crazy strange life became norm until they met someone new like Iris or Alain, who would react to their life and both Ash and Pikachu got a reminder that all that they did wasn't so  _normal._  But it was hard to explain. The tale too fanatical without proof, proof they couldn't readily provided. So it became easier to keep the secrets down.

It became easier to focus on the next day, the next adventure, the next battle. If they let it linger too longer, the thoughts would turn backwards, looking at the regrets, of not being fast enough, strong enough, of those who they lost, who they had to leave behind.

So Alain who didn't really push to ask questions and just believed in Ash (despite the worrying) was refreshing. That made Alain a little odd because Pikachu was sure that asking questions when the weird happened was usually what people did.

Well, Pikachu would give it time. If the patterns held true, they were going to run into a legendary and save the world sooner than later. He would see how Alain reacted then. In the meantime, Alain would remain a strange but nice boy.

"Pikapika," Pikachu said, scrambling up to Alain's side.  _Alain._

Alain snapped out of his lost far away look. (Another similarity he shared with Ash, Pikachu noted.)

"Hello Pikachu," Alain said, giving Pikachu a fond scratch.

Alain gave excellent scratches. Not as good as Ash, but good scratches. "Chaaa," Pikachu said with a content hum. "Pikaka pikachu pi."  _Thank you for coming with us._  Alain probably wouldn't understand that, but Pikachu like conveying the words.

Alain gave him a confused blink, but seemed to understand Pikachu's positive words. He smiled fondly.

' _Alain. Pikachu.'_

Pikachu turned to see Charmander approaching. Charmander was a good Pokemon, probably the oldest after Pikachu here. But still very young.

' _Your Trainer is strange,'_  Pikachu told Charmander.

Charmander skidded to a halt, frowning.  _'Hey!'_

' _In a good way,'_  Pikachu added.

Charmander made a confused sound.  _'Thank you…?'_

"Guys?" Alain asked.

Pikachu smiled mischievously and leaned over to give Alain a small shock. Nothing serious, not like what he would give Ash, but just a small static shock. He lept over to Charmander and repeated the same motion.

"Ouch!"

' _What was that for?'_

Pikachu grinned and ran back to Ash who was sitting farther away.

"Ash, what does it mean when Pikachu gives me a shock?" Alain asked, nursing his hand.

"It means he likes you," Ash shouted back.

"Okay?" Alain said, confused. Charmander looked equally confused.

Pikachu snickered. Ash on the other hand, gave Pikachu an amused look.

"That was fast," Ash said. "The only other person who you warmed up to this quickly was Misty."

Pikachu nuzzled his cheek against Ash, giving him the same small shock. "Chaaa."  _Just welcoming them._

Time would tell how Alain and Iris would fit together with him and Ash, but Pikachu had a good feeling about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Pikachu's Crazy Life: 5 vs Alain: 2
> 
> *throws confetti* Alright, here's some of our bigger divergences. Yes, Cilan won't be traveling with us. I judged that none of the roles Cilan played were critical to him only and could be performed by others (such as cooking). None of the Cilan-centric episodes impacted the plot. And yes, went with Team Plasma instead of Team Rocket, mostly because as far as the anime is concerned, the Team Rocket plotline got dropped so *waves it aside completely*
> 
> Ash and Pikachu continue to baffle Alain. And hey Snivy!
> 
> * * *
> 
> To answer some questions.
> 
> **Sandile followed Ash for 60 episodes?**  Yup. According the wiki and the episodes I've seen so far, Sandile was introduced in episode 3 and wasn't captured by Ash until episode 65.
> 
> **Does Alain know about Ash's Charizard?**  *covers Alain's ears* shhh that's a secret
> 
> **What about Ash's other Pokemon? Will he used them? Does Alain know?**  Alain doesn't know all of then. Only what Ash has been willing to share so far and the poor boy is still thinking about Ash in normal frames. Experienced Trainers probably don't have more than 10 or so Pokemon [just due to the logistic of keeping them and feeding them], unless they have family or in Ash's case Professor Oak's ranch to help support. Snivy makes 37th unique Pokemon Ash has caught (but doesn't count his 30 Tauros for example.)
> 
> I have a couple ideas for some of Ash's older Pokemon so you'll see a few of them, but beyond that *shrugs* your guess is as good as mines.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Alright, that's one gym down, onward to the second one!
> 
> Please leave a review on your way out.


	6. Chapter 6

"Alain. Can Axew battle with Tepig?" Iris asked.

"Axew!" Axew said, popping out of Iris' hair.  _Please!_

Alain looked over to Tepig, asking for her permission. Tepig tapped her foot against the ground nervously, but nodded.

"Alright," Alain said. "But why are you asking me and Tepig?" He hadn't gotten very far in training Tepig. She could now hold her Ember for a full thirty seconds and her Tackle could have a stronger start for more power.

"Axew hasn't had many battles, and neither has Tepig. I figured it would be good for the both of them," Iris said.

"A Pokemon Battle!" Ash asked, excitement reflected in his eyes. "We'll help too!"

"No! Not against you," Iris snapped. "You take Pokemon Battles too seriously!"

Alain wasn't sure what was wrong with that.

"What's wrong with that?" Ash asked, reading Alain's mind. Pikachu echoing Ash's question, ears straightening.

"You're such a child," Iris said with a mocking sigh. "I couldn't bear it if my Axew was hit by Volt Tackle."

"Okay, we'll do one without Volt Tackle then!" Ash said. Pikachu nodded.

"No!" Iris said. "Sit down and watch!"

"I got it, I got it." Ash took a seat on the nearby rock. Pikachu joined him, drooping ears and pouting.

"Right! Let's go Axew," Iris said.

Axew jumped out of her hair and landed in front of her. He swung his arms, a grim line of determination set on his face. "Axew!"  _Let's go!_

"You sure are motivated, Axew," Iris said proudly.

"Tepig!" Alain called out. "Are you ready?"

Tepig ran and took her place in front of Alain. She scratched the ground, stance wide and ready.

"Let's begin!" Iris said. "Axew use Scratch!"

Axew ran forward.

"Tepig, use Ember!" Alain said.

Tepig let out a powerful burst of flames that collided with Axew. The attack pushed Axew backwards, flipping and rolling him across the ground.

To everyone's surprise, Axew started bawling.

"What?" Alain asked. Tepig looked back at him, confused.

"Axew!" Iris cried out rushing forward to comfort it. "Does it hurt?"

"What?" Alain repeated.

Iris glared at him. "That was too strong!"

It… wasn't? Tepig's Ember had nothing on Charmander's version. Alain was trying to get Tepig's Ember much stronger. He looked at her bewildered.

"They're both young!" Iris accused. "They should be using this practice to get used to battling, little by little. It's another method for raising them!"

True… but Alain never believed in that. Charmander certainly didn't, always ready to throw himself fully into a battle, to go beyond his limits.

"Little by little, huh? Ash said, crossing his arms. Pikachu mimic the pose. "Battles are much more fun if you clash with all you've got though."

"I agree with Ash," Alain said, still very bewildered.

"Argh!" Iris said, stomping her foot. "You're both children! I would have thought you would have known better, Alain!"

Alain shared a look with Ash who just shrugged at him.

"We're not criticizing how you want to raise Axew," Ash said.

"But if you want gentle, you have to say something," Alain said. He bent down to pet Tepig. "Good job Tepig. That Ember is getting bigger."

Tepig beamed at him.

"Axew are you okay?" Iris asked.

Axew shook his head, tears drying and stood up. That grim look of determination returned. "Axew!"  _Let's go!_

Tepig looked back at Alain questioningly. "Tepig Te?" _Are we?_

Alain let out a weak laugh. "I guess 50% power, Tepig. Do your best."

"Right let's start off with another Scratch!" Iris said.

Axew lifted his arms up, claws glittering in the light and rushed forward.

"Dodge and tackle, Tepig!"

Tepig jumped left and rammed into Axew. The two tumbled together, rolling across the ground.

"Oh dear," Ash said.

"Chuuu," Pikachu agreed.  _This isn't good._

"Umm, ummm, what to do," Iris murmured, fretting. "I know! Axew use Dragon Rage!"

Axew built up a blue glow of energy, concentrating deeply and struggling. Alain paled, recognizing the attack and the wrong  _build_  up.

"Tepig! Return!" Alain shouted, fumbling quickly for the ball. As Tepig jumped back into her ball, Alain tackled Ash and Pikachu just as the entire area went off with a boom.

There in the center of the road was now a gaping big crater with Axew looking around curiously. "Awex."  _Did it work?_

Iris hacked, waving the smoke away from her face. She was singled all around. Ash, Alain and Pikachu poked their heads out from behind the rock; the three of them grimacing at the destruction.

"What was that?" Ash asked.

Iris laughed nervously. "That flopped." She sighed, cradling her head in her hands. "So today's a failure as well."

"Today as well?" Ash said. Pikachu let out a pitiful whine.

"Dragon Rage doesn't look like that," Alain said tiredly. That was dangerous. Training powerful attacks like Dragon Rage often were, but well, Alain didn't fancy being blown up.

"That's right! Charmander knows Dragon Rage," Iris said. "Help me teach Axew how to use it?"

Alain sighed. "Sure." Better Axew learn how to use it before blowing them all up.

-.-.-

"So, Axew is from your village elder," Ash said with a thoughtful hum as Iris wrapped up her story. The three of them were sitting on the large branch of a grand old tree, munching on fruits.

"Yeah," Iris said. "Quite a bit of time has passed since we set off, so I had to do something to make Axew stronger. That's why I thought I would let him become used to battles and asked Alain for help." She sighed heavily, taking a bite out of red fruit.

"We can help you," Alain said. He blinked, noticing that Pikachu and Axew were no longer in sight. Only Charmander had remained, listening to Iris' story. "Where did Pikachu and Axew go?"

A loud explosion went off in the distance.

"Axew?!" Iris said, jumping to her feet.

The three of them shared a look and took off running in that direction. As they got closer, Pikachu jumped out of the bushes. "Pikapi!"  _Ash!_

"Pikachu!" Ash said. "What happened?"

Pikachu ran through a series of pandomie motions, frantically trying to explain the situation. When all of a sudden, out of the bushes broke a large bug Pokemon with Axew trapped between its horns.

"AXEW!"  _HELP!_

"Axew!" Iris said.

"What is that Pokemon?" Ash asked, pulling out his Pokedex. The machine helpfully read out the info. "Scolipede?"

Axew wailed, flailing his arms, still firmly stuck between the horns of the Scolipede.

"I'll save you, Axew!" Iris said. She pulled out another Pokeball, enlarging it.

"Eh? You have another Pokemon?" Ash said.

Iris hesitated for a second. "Right, it's do or die! Let's go Excadrill!"

And brown and silver Pokemon materialized and dropped to the ground, frozen stiff. Iris groaned. "I see today is also a bad day," she mumbled.

"What on earth?" Alain asked.

"The picture looks different than in the Pokedex," Ash mumbled, reading the information his Pokedex displayed.

"Please Excadrill! Lend me your power!" Iris pleaded.

Excadrill didn't move, ignoring everything.

"Here is comes again," Alain said. "Charmander, Fire Fang!"

Charmander jumped forward, fire gathering in his mouth. Before he could land his attack, Scolipede tackled him, knocking Charmander back. It reared back, horns glower larger and it sent Charmander flying, throwing deep into the trees.

"That was Megahorn," Ash said.

"Charmander!" Alain shouted.

There was a flash of light and out from the bushes jumped a Charm _eleon_.

"He evolved!" Iris said.

Alain went scrambling. "Charmeleon, Flame Burst!"

Ash sent out Tepig. "Tepig, Ember!"

The fire scorched the Scolipede, causing it to rear back, legs kicking into the air. Axew fell off, tumbling to the ground. Pikachu darted forward, snatching Axew out of the air, and landing safely on the side. Scolipede retreated, disappearing in a flurry of dust.

Charmeleon turned to Alain. "Char charmeleon!"  _Look, I evolved!_

Alain reached over to pet him. He knew Charmander could do it. "You're looking great Charmeleon."

Charmeleon beamed. "Charmeleon charchar leon. Char meleon."  _Wait until I'm a Charizard. I'm going to be amazing!_

Ash gave Tepig a fond pat. "You did a great job too, Tepig. Nice catch, Pikachu!"

Tepig nuzzled against Ash's hand. "Tepig!"  _Thank you!_

"Pikachu."  _Thank you!_

Iris meanwhile picked up Axew and gave him a hug. "Are you okay, Axew?" she asked. "I'm sorry I couldn't rescue myself."

Axew gave her a comforting hug. "Axew axax. Axewax."  _It's okay. I'll get stronger._

Iris looked at Excadrill who hadn't moved an inch. She sighed and returned Excadrill.

"Why doesn't Excadrill listen to you?" Ash asked.

Iris didn't say anything, just gave him a bitter smile. Wisely the two boys let the issue drop.

The more important thing was that they were all okay.

-.-.-

Augustine stretched as he got out of the car. 'Home sweet home,' he thought with a touch of sadness. Coming home had been hard, not only because Professor Juniper had riveting resources that would help with Augustine with his research, but because it drove home the reality that Alain hadn't come back with him.

It was bittersweet. Augustine couldn't be more proud of Alain, but it seemed quieter. Lonelier. Alain was growing up into a fine young man despite whatever had been bothering him these last couple months. He would be fine.

"Garchomp!"  _Welcome back!_  Garchomp came flying out the front door, coming to a stop. She looked around, before turning to give Augustine a questioning look. "Chomp?"  _Where is Alain?_

Augustine gave her a fond pat, already guessing her question. "Alain is still in Unova."

Garchomp let out a cry, giving him a look of betrayal.

"Why is Alain still in Unova?" Sophie asked, coming out to join them. She crossed her arms, looking displeased.

Augustine let out a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his neck. "I didn't tell you?" Uh oh. Surely he brought it up during all the times he had called or forwarded the information to Sophie.

Sophie's eyes narrowed, glasses glinting sharply in the sunlight. "No. You didn't mention Alain wouldn't be coming back with you."

Augustine didn't wince. He didn't. Did Sophie have to put it like that? Alain would be back. This was his home. He would be back. It wouldn't be forever. Maybe for a few… years…. Augustine groaned and buried his head in his hands.

"Professor?" Sophie asked, the heat fading from her words.

"Alain went on his Pokemon Journey," Augustine said. "Because he made a friend with a trainer we met in Unova and really bonded with him. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I just didn't-"

"Take into account how long Alain might be gone," Sophie finished. She rested her hand to her cheek and sighed.

"No," Augustine agreed miserably. It made no sense. As the regional professor, Augustine often sent new trainers away with a smile. Then again, Alain was his son in all but blood and Augustine supposed it was different in this case. How on earth did other parents cope with this?

Garchomp let out another low pitched whine. Augustine reached out to pet her. "There, there," he said, trying to reassure her. "Alain will be back before you know it."

Now if only he could believe it.

"Right," Sophie said. "C'mon Garchomp. Let's go call Alain."

Augustine beamed up. "Excellent idea!" Sophie had a point. Alain might be traveling, but Augustine could always call.

"I have a half a mind to ban you from the call," Sophie said. "I can't believe you didn't tell me Alain wasn't coming back with you."

"No, Sophie!" Augustine said, trailing after her. "Please, I'm sorry!"

-.-.-

"What an eventful day," Ash said, driving the last stake in the tent into the ground.

Alain unwrapped Ash's and his sleeping back, laying them down in the tent. It had been easier to just continue sharing a tent with Ash. It was cheaper for one thing, the cooking set had costed more than Alain had expected. The other reason was it was easier to just step up one tent every night instead of two.

Ash's spare tent went to Iris who had an uncanny ability to sense when the nights were going to be too cold or too wet to chance her usual perch up in a tree.

"Good night!" Iris said, waving to them and ducking into the tent with Axew.

"Night," Ash and Alain said back.

"Between Scolipede and Axew's Dragon Rage, I'm beat," Ash said, crawling into the tent. Pikachu hopped inside, padding over to Ash's sleeping bag.

"I agree," Alain said. He was starting to notice a trend, traveling with Ash. The amount of trouble they were running into was getting a little high. Granted most of it had been wild Pokemon, so perhaps Unova's Pokemon were just a little more wilder and rougher? But there were those criminals in the last town... Well, nothing too bad, and it had a the benefit of making Alain so tired, he fell straight into dreamless sleeps.

(He dreaded that one day he was going to wake Ash with one of his nightmares. But Ash had offered and Alain couldn't give a good enough reason to turn him down. The best Alain could hope for at this point was as many nights without nightmares or for the nightmares to stop completely.)

Alain crawled into his sleeping bag, getting comfortable.

"Good night, Ash," Alain said.

"Good night, Alain."

-.-.-

The buzzing of his phone woke Alain up. In the dark, he reached for it, mentally groaning as he caught the time. 4am, who was calling at this hour? All sleepiness fell away when he recognized it as the lab's number. Had something happened?

He knew the professor was traveling back to Kalos today. A cold sweat ran down his face as he imagined the scenarios.

"Alain?" Ash asked sleepily, stirring in the sleeping bag next to him. Pikachu grumbled tiredly, turning over.

"Sorry," Alain whispered. "Just a phone call. Go back to sleep, I'll take it outside."

He ducked outside, answering the phone. The hologram image of Sophie and Garchomp appeared.

"Sophie?" Alain said. "Is something wrong?"

Sophie blinked, hand flying to her mouth. "It's still dark out. Alain did I wake you?"

"Yes?" Alain said, fighting off a yawn. "Did something happen?"

Sophie shook her head. "No. The Professor just didn't mention that you wouldn't be returning with him to Kalos. I just wanted to call and check up on you. I forgot about the time difference."

"Garchomp car." Garchomp pushed forward into the view of the camera.  _Alain! Where are you?_

"Hi Garchomp," Alain said with a fond smile. "Sorry, I didn't come back."

"Gar garchomp chomp," Garchomp said with a frown.  _Come back home._

"I miss you too," Alain said.

"Garchomp!"  _Not what I meant!_

Garchomp grumbled, looking very put off.

Sophie gave her a fond pat. "We both miss him," she said. "You take care, you hear? I want you healthy and in one piece by the time you come back home"

Alain smiled. "I will."

"I'll let you get back to sleep," Sophie said.

"Wait! Don't I get to talk to Alain?" Professor Sycamore shouted from off screen. His head peeked in from behind Garchomp. "Alain!"

"Hi Professor," Alain said with a fond smile.

"Is everything okay?" Professor Sycamore asked. "How is Tepig, both of them, doing?"

"My Tepig is doing great. She can hold her Ember for a full minute now," Alain said proudly. "Ash's Tepig is on his way to recovery. We have him at half-sized meals and the last Pokemon Center we visited, Nurse Joy reported he was gaining weight."

"Good, good," Professor Sycamore said.

"Charmander evolved too," Alain said excitedly.

"Marvelous!" Professor Sycamore said. "That's great to hear. I bet he's ecstatic?"

"Yeah," Alain said, beaming. "I'm proud of him."

"You should be," Professor Sycamore said.

Sophie then reached over to twist Professor Sycamore's ear. "Let him go back to bed," she said. "You two can chat later."

Professor Sycamore yelped. "Right, right. It's early over there. Have a good rest, Alain."

Alain smiled. "Thank you, I will."

The call ended and Alain took a deep breath. He looked up, the stars still faintly glimmering as the sky began to lighten with the rising sun.

He felt… a little lighter. Alain let out a content sigh. He could do this.

It was the start of another brand new day.

-.-.-

"Today was weird," Iris said hollowly.

Alain agreed. A Trubbish who just wanted to be friends with kids, kids who wanted to keep said Trubbish, a teacher who didn't want a Trubbish in the classroom, all of it sounded mildly normal. But the falling treehouse? That was a heart attack.

Ash laughed brightly.

"Oh, no. You do not get to laugh about this, mister-I-joined-the-enemies," Iris said.

"They were kids," Ash said. "Not enemies."

"You could have gotten hurt!" Iris said.

Again, Alain agreed with that.

"It worked out," Ash said with a grin. "And we left with a new friend." He held up the incubator with a spotted yellow Pokemon Egg in it.

"Rewarded for your crazy ideas," Iris said with a heavy sigh. "This is why you're such a child."

Alain… wished he could refute that. He really did. But…

"There's never a dull moment around you, is there Ash?" Alain asked instead.

Ash smiled mysteriously at him. "Not at all."

-.-.-

"I'm glad to hear you're going great, Fennel," Aurea said. She had been worried about her friend. After the explosion at Dreamyard, Fennel had fallen into a deep depression over what had happened to Musharna.

On the screen, Fennel smiled brightly. "Musharna is back, much to my joy. Munna loves having her big sister back too. It's all thanks to those Trainers."

Aurea smiled. Thank goodness Ash and Alain had been able to help. Both Professor Oak and Professor Sycamore were correct about those two boys being the kind of people to help out always. "So what do you plan on doing now? Going back to Dream Energy research?"

Fennel shook her head. "No… I don't want to open that can of worms again," she said sadly. "I think I'll do something more traditional. Research Munna and Musharna in their natural habits."

"Sounds like a good idea," Aurea said.

Fennel laughed. "Well the biggest issue is going to be finding some natural habits. I checked where I had found Munna and Musharna all those years ago and there weren't any there. I assume they've moved on."

"I can ask my traveling Trainers to keep an eye out," Aurea said.

"That would be great!" Fennel said, clapping her hands together. "You're the best Aurea!"

"Happy to help," Aurea said. It was great to see Fennel back to her happy self.

-.-.-

"How are you adjusting, Charmeleon?" Alain asked.

"Charmeleon! Leon char char," Charmeleon said.  _Doing great! Can we have a battle?_

Alain blinked. He believed he caught Charmeleon's question. "A battle?" he asked.

Charmeleon nodded. He pointed to Ash and Pikachu. "Char leon charmeleon."  _Against Ash and Pikachu._

"Ash and Pikachu?" Alain said, following where Charmeleon was pointing.

"Char!"  _Yes!_

Alain would  **love**  that. He grinned, turning to face Ash. "Ash, Pikachu. Do you mind giving me and Charmeleon a battle?"

"A battle?" Ash asked, perking up. "Of course!" Pikachu let out a cheer, jumping the ground, stance ready.

"Boys," Iris said, rolling her eyes, but wisely got out of the way. Axew popped out of her hair, watching curiously.

Alain thrummed with excitement. A battle against Ash! "Let's go, Charmeleon," Alain said. Charmeleon clenched his claws, ready to go.

Before they could start, Oshawott popped out of his Pokeball and shoved Pikachu to the side.

'Oh no,' Alain thought. Despite Ash's firm teachings, Oshawott had continued to stubbornly act jealous, picking on Pikachu constantly. Alain thought it was remarkable how much control Pikachu that the Electric-Type didn't outright shock Oshawott to teach Water-Type a lesson.

"Pikachu? Pikapika chu?" Pikachu asked.  _Oshawott? What are you doing?_

"Oshawott? What are you doing?" Ash asked.

Oshawott puffed out his chest and pointed at Charmeleon. "Oshawott osha osha."  _I want to fight!_

Ash gave him a wry smile, bending down to Oshawott's level. "Alain and Charmeleon asked to fight against Pikachu, Oshawott. And don't push Pikachu like that. It isn't nice."

"Wott oshawott," Oshawott said.  _I'm better!_

"Oshawott," Ash said firmly. "No."

Charmeleon tugged Alain's sleeve, pointing to Oshawott. "Char meleon char."  _I'm okay with fighting against Oshawott._

Alain mentally sighed. He really wanted to see how Charmeleon would do against Pikachu at this stage. But it was fine, it was still a battle against Ash. Though… would letting Oshawott fight against Charmeleon encourage Oshawott's jealous quirk?

"Ash! Charmeleon said it's okay if Oshawott wants to fight," Alain said.

Ash crossed his arms, pondering it for a moment. Then he let out a heavy sigh. "Alright," he said. He gave Pikachu a fond pat. "Next time, partner."

Pikachu sighed heavily and joined Iris and Axew on the side.

"Let's start with Water Gun, Oshawott!" Ash said.

"Dodge and Dragon Rage!" Alain said.

Oshawott let loose a stream of water. Charmeleon jumped high into the air, avoiding the attack. As gravity took over, he took a deep breath and let out the blue fire of Dragon Rage at Oshawott.

"Razor Shell!"

Oshawott pulled off his scallop, a bright blue blade of energy forming and slicing through the Dragon Rage attack.

Alain grinned. Of course, Oshawott would be able to do that. "Don't get hit, Charmeleon. Use Fire Fang!"

Charmeleon rushed forward, fire gathering in his mouth. He knocked away Oshawott's scallop with a swipe of his tail and bit down on Oshawott's head. Oshawott let out a pained squee as Charmeleon swung his head and threw Oshawott flying into a tree.

"Oshawott!" Ash shouted. "Get up!"

Oshawott struggled to his feet, stubbornly glaring at Charmeleon.

"Dragon Rage!" Alain said.

"Water Gun!" Ash said.

The two attacks collided against each other, pushing back and forth, until Dragon Rage broke through Water Gun, hitting Oshawott in a fiery explosion. Oshawott flew backwards, charred and landed on the ground with a thud, unconscious.

"Oshawott is unable to battle!" Iris shouted. "Alain and Charmeleon are the winners!"

Ash ran over to Oshawott. Pikachu ran over from Iris, climbing up Ash's shoulder to look over Oshawott.

"Hey Oshawott? You okay?" Ash asked.

Alain joined him, a briefly feeling of guilt simmering in his stomach. He had known Charmeleon was much stronger than Oshawott, but he had thought… that Ash would have made it challenging regardless. He choked. He was making assumptions that Ash would be performing at the same level as the Kalos League. It hadn't even been a month since Ash gotten Oshawott and Oshawott wasn't Greninja.

"He is alright?" Alain asked.

"Oshawott?" Ash asked again.

Oshawott blinked, coming back to consciousness. He took one look at Ash and Alain, eyes beginning to water. "Oshawott?"  _I lost?_

Charmeleon crossed his arms. "Char char."  _Yes, yes you did._

Alain nudged Charmeleon. "Don't be smug like that," Alain scolded. "It was a good battle. Thank you, Oshawott, Ash."

Oshawott's eyes watered even more.

"Oshawott? Don't cry," Ash said, reaching down to pick him up.

Oshawott slapped away Ash's hand and took off. He jumped through the bushes, wiggling through the branches and disappearing.

"Pikapika!"  _Oshawott! Come back!_

"Oshawott! Come back!" Ash said.

Alain felt his heart constrict further. By Arceus, he should have insisted on fighting against Pikachu. Oshawott wasn't ready for that kind of battle.

"Where did he go?" Iris asked, joining them.

"He's just upset," Ash said. "I'll go after him. You guys can wait here."

"Are you sure?" Iris asked. "We can help look for him."

Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder, following after Oshawott's path. "Pikachu and I got it," Ash said. "Don't worry. Great battle, Alain, Charmeleon. Don't look sad. Oshawott needed to learn this lesson soon anyways."

That didn't make Alain feel any better! Judging by the way, Charmeleon curled his tail around himself, it didn't make Charmeleon feel better either.

Ash took off, following after Pikachu.

"Are they really going to be okay?" Iris asked.

"I hope so," Alain said.

"Are you going to be okay?" Iris asked.

Alain blinked, startled. "Y-yeah."

"You look upset," Iris said, glancing at both him and Charmeleon. "So does Charmeleon. I guess what the Elder say is true, a good partnership between a Trainer and their Pokemon is when they're in sync even outside of battle."

"I recognized that Oshawott wasn't ready for this battle," Alain said quietly. "I shouldn't have let this battle take place."

"The way I remember it, Charmeleon asked to battle against Oshawott and Ash could have said no too," Iris said. "It happens. You had no way of knowing this would be the result."

Charmeleon reached out to grip Alain's jeans. Alain smiled at him fondly, giving him a pat. "I guess. Thank you, Iris."

"You still look upset," Iris said.

Because Alain was. It was a misstep, yes and he felt terrible for being part of the reason why Oshawott had run off, but that was slowly being outweighed by the fact that Alain had  _mixed them up._  Oshawott wasn't Greninja. This wasn't a rematch from the Kalos League. Even Ash was just a little bit different in his battle strategies. This was…

It occurred to him that Alain had been treating Ash like… the Ash he knew. But that wasn't the case, was it? Just by meeting Ash this early, Alain had changed things. Had Ash even met Iris last time? Did he even get an Oshawott? Alain had no way of knowing; it was never something that had never come up in their admittedly brief meetings.

This Ash and the Ash he remembered were going to be two different people. Would this Ash even meet Greninja? Alain didn't know if the Froakie had come from Professor Sycamore or not.

Oh Arceus. Professor Sycamore. 'Well, some things will be same even if the reasons are different,' Alain thought bitterly to himself. Alain wouldn't have hurt Professor Sycamore by not coming home, but he was still hurting the Professor by just constantly disappointing him because Alain couldn't get his head on straight.

Even Charizard. When Charmeleon finally evolved, he wouldn't be the same partner Alain had fought with, who went through constant battle against battle against other Mega Evolutions, who faced down Mega Rayquaza, Primal Kyogre, and Primal Groudon, who was the only friendly face Alain had under Lysandre's controlling hand.

'Well at least this Charmeleon won't know what's like to be crushed beneath Pyroar's paws,' Alain thought with a touch of hysteria.

"Alain?" Iris asked, looking at him concerned.

Alain drew in a fortifying breath. "I'm fine," he said.

He had to be.

-.-.-.-

Oshawott ran and ran, tears falling from his eyes. The shame was unbearable. He was going to leave! Go somewhere where no one was going to find him! To be anywhere but here.

He tripped over a rock, tumbling head first into a tree. That was the last piece and Oshawott let out heavy sobs, wailing loudly.

' _Oh, Oshawott,'_  Pikachu said, coming out of the bushes.

' _Go away!'_  Oshawott said.  _'Leave me alone!'_

' _We won't do that,'_  Pikachu said.

We? Pikachu was the only one her- Ash came out of the bushes.

"There you are Oshawott," Ash said, kneeling down to Oshawott's level. "Are you okay?"

Oshawott's tears welled up again. Why was Ash here?

"It's okay that you lost, Oshawott," Ash said. "You won't be able to win every battle you're in, and that doesn't make you any lesser for it. It just means we'll just have to try harder next time."

' _You don't battle alone,'_  Pikachu said, adding onto Ash's words.  _'It's a joint effort from you and Ash. I told you, Alain is a strong Trainer and Charmeleon isn't weak either. Together, they have a strong partnership. They've been training together for a long time. That doesn't mean you'll always lose to Alain and Charmeleon. You just have to keep practicing.'_

' _But I should have won!_ ' Oshawott said.  _'My water is better than fire!'_

' _Type isn't everything,'_  Pikachu said.

"Type isn't everything," Ash said, pulling out a handkerchief to dry Oshawott's eyes. "Just because you have the Type Advantage, it doesn't mean you automatically win. Charmeleon just proved that."

Ash gave Oshawott a wry smile. "But, Oshawott, we really need to talk about your jealousy. You shouldn't have insisted on fighting against Charmeleon. Alain asked for a battle against Pikachu."

' _But you always use Pikachu!'_  Oshawott said.  _'Pikachu gets to ride on your shoulder and gets all the pets, praise and battles he wants and gets to go everywhere with you. Why did you even take me if you already have a perfect partner?!'_

Ash looked at him, brows furrowed.

"Pikachu?" Ash asked, confusion in his tone of voice.

' _That's what I mean!'_ Oshawott said, flailing his arms angrily.

' _Oshawott,'_  Pikachu said firmly.  _'You're speaking too fast for Ash to understand you. Ash and I worked hard to reach the level of understanding. You'll eventually reach that level with Ash. It just takes time.'_

' _I want it now!'_  Oshawott said.

Pikachu sighed.  _'Maybe you should meet Bayleef.'_

' _Who?'_  Oshawott asked.

"Bayleef?" Ash asked. "Yeah, it's probably a good idea for you to meet Bayleef, Oshawott." He gave Oshawott a fond pat. "Bayleef knows a little about what you're going through. She was a very stubborn Pokemon when we first met her too, always rushing ahead and jealous of Pikachu. How does that sound? When we reach the next Pokemon Center, I'll bring Bayleef over so you can meet her. And maybe she'll have some advice for you."

Oshawott grumbled. He highly doubted it. He crossed his arms but conceded for now at least.

Ash gave him a smile. He held out Oshawott's Pokeball. "Alright, let's go back to the others."

Oshawott knocked the Pokeball out of Ash's hand with a Water Gun.  _'No! If Pikachu gets to stay out, I want to too!'_

"Alright Oshawott. If you want to stay out, you can stay out," Ash said. "But no more running away."

Oshawott grumbled, but nodded.

Ash picked up Oshawott. "I hope one day you understand."

Oshawott was sure that one day Ash would understand him.

-.-.-

Pikachu sighed and tried not to let the irritation bother him too much. Honestly… this jealous thing with Oshawott was tiring. It was like Aipom and Chikorita all over again.

He glanced over to where Oshawott was sitting with Ash, Alain and Iris. The Water-Type was trying once again to get Ash's attention, but Ash firmly scolded him. It just wasn't sinking in and Pikachu could feel his patience beginning to run out.

It was annoying, but as Ash's starter, it was his job to keep peace and their little family functioning like a team. These days, he was oldest and most experienced one, which meant the newer Pokemon always looked up to him for guidance and teaching. Pikachu was fine with responsibility.

What was tiring was when jealousy, like Oshawott, like Aipom, like Chikorita reared its head. Pikachu tried to share, to let Oshawott ride on Ash's shoulder like he wanted. But it felt weird not to be that close to Ash, and he knew that Ash felt that way as well.

Everyone always said the bond between a Trainer and their Starter was something special. Pikachu chalked it up to that and tried not to let his annoyance over Pokemon like Oshawott who insisted on disrupting Pikachu's spot on Ash's shoulder. He had learned (and relearned) that he couldn't just shock his way out of a problem. But it got so tiring when his words would fall flat and the others would just ignore him.

(He missed Bulbasaur's easy support and diplomatic nature.)

He was willing to admit, in the privacy of his own head (with no psychic types lingering around), that this may have been the most troublesome team Ash had ever assembled.

Pidove and Snivy were Arceus-sent Pokemon who had their priorities straight. The only thing they lacked was knowledge gained by simply spending time with humans. (Actually he has his suspicions about Snivy.) Sandile was well meaning, but a little too enthusiastic about fighting. Tepig was only beginning to gain confidence in himself, but it was still a long road to recovery. Pikachu feared what would happened when Tepig lost a serious gym battle. As for Oshawott… well enough said.

Pikachu was honestly looking forward to their first run in with major crazy world saving shenanigans. Nothing like the fate of the world to forge the bonds of their team.

(He was joking.)

(Mostly.)

He didn't tell the newer Pokemon about the Chosen One, the legendaries, or the general craziness that was Ash and his life. They either didn't believe it or worse, the more timid ones would freeze up and waiting for the other shoe to drop.

So far they had been handling the tamer stuff Ash got into, like those strange criminals at Dreamyard or saving Darmanitan from the bell, pretty well. Oddly, they also haven't been running into Team Rocket that often either. It used to happen every other day of the week. Pikachu briefly wondered what those three were up to. Probably no good, but he wasn't going to complain about their lack of presence.

(It also got really tiring to be targeted constantly.)

' _Oshawott still at it?'_  Sandile asked.

' _Yes,'_ Pikachu said.

' _Did he really throw a tantrum earlier?'_  Snivy asked, crossing her arms in disapproval.

' _He is young,'_  Pikachu said.

' _That's no excuse,'_  Snivy argued.

' _He was raised in a Lab with the dream that he was going to be a Trainer's Starter Pokemon,'_ Pikachu said.  _'I supposed he feels robbed by the fact that Ash already had me.'_

' _Tepig doesn't have that problem,'_  Snivy said.  _'Do you?'_

Ash's Tepig shook his head.  _'I'm… not sure I even want it anymore.'_

' _Anymore?'_  Pidove asked.  _'What's so special about being a Trainer's Starter?'_

Tepig scratched the ground.  _'Professor Juniper said it means your Trainer will rely on you more? It sounded like a lot of responsibility,'_  he said. He looked down. _'It's why my old Trainer was so disappointed in me. I… don't want that responsibility again.'_

' _Sounds complicated,'_  Sandile said.  _'Don't we just all fight?'_

They looked at Pikachu who just shrugged.  _'I can't tell you what the Professors tell you about being Starters. I grew up in the wild and right after I was captured, I was given to Ash.'_ He didn't mentioned the whole time travel issue that played a part in their meeting.

' _But you know so much!'_  Pidove said.

Pikachu smiled.  _'I've been with Ash a long time. We didn't have the best start.'_ He shrugged again.  _'I caused him a lot of grief the first leg our journey.'_  He remembered promising to leave as soon as he could, shocking Ash every step of the way. He remembered the rain and cold, the flock of Spearows bearing down them.

They had come a long way from that.

' _What are you guys talking about?'_  Axew asked, joining them.

' _Starters,'_ Snivy said.  _'Are you Iris' Starter?'_

Axew tilted his head, confused.  _'What does Starter mean?'_

' _That's probably a no,'_  Sandile said.

' _Charmeleon is Alain's Starter, right?'_  Pidove said.  _'And Tepig is also from the lab!'_

' _What about us?'_  Alain's Tepig asked. She and Charmeleon walked over.

' _Starters. What does it mean?'_  Snivy said.

Alain's Tepig tapped her foot.  _'You're the most important Pokemon to your Trainer because they rely on you a lot? I didn't really get it.'_

Charmeleon crossed his arms in serious thought.  _'Alain and Dad have always explained it as being a best friend to your Trainer.'_

' _Something like that,'_  Pikachu said.  _'Humans and other Starters say that Starters are usually something special because they're first and have been with their Trainer the longest. They had the most time to build up a bond with their Trainer, walking every step with them. Starters rarely get pulled off their team.'_

' _Pulled off?'_  Ash's Tepig asked fearfully.

Pikachu gave him a reassuring smile. _'Usually, a Trainer is only allowed to carry six Pokeball and thus six Pokemon with them. So sometimes if Ash has more than six, he'll rotate all of you out by sending some of you to the Pokemon Lab for short periods of time. Either to Professor Juniper's lab or all the way to Professor Oak's ranch. It's good because you get a short break, it allows Ash to focus on those of us who need more training and you get to meet Ash's other Pokemon.'_

' _Other Pokemon?'_ Ash's Tepig asked.  _'He has more than us?'_

Pikachu nodded.  _'Yes. If you ever go to Professor Oak's ranch, you should meet Infernape. I think you two have a lot in common.'_  Bad first Trainers. Charizard would be good too, but Pikachu was pretty sure Charizard was still at Charicific Valley.

' _Ash will have to swap at least one of you out when the Pokemon Egg hatches, for example. It's not a slight against you. Ash doesn't think any less of you, won't love you any less,'_ Pikachu reassured.

' _Right!'_  Charmeleon agreed. He looked Alain's Tepig.  _'I don't think Alain is planning on capturing more Pokemon, but even if he doesn't, if you want to visit home, just let him know. You'll like Dad and Sophie and Cosette. Oh! And Garchomp! Garchomp is the best big sister!'_

' _Do I have to?'_  Alain's Tepig asked, looking worried.

' _No, unless Alain captures more Pokemon to exceed six. But it will be safer at home than on the road, since you don't really want to fight,'_  Charmeleon said.

' _What about you? Do you go back?'_ Snivy asked.

Charmeleon shook his head.  _'No. My place with Alain.'_

Pikachu chuckled.  _'That right there, is a very Starter-like response.'_

' _So there's something special about being a Starter,'_  Pidove said, bringing the conversation back to its original point.  _'But why did Oshawott agree to go with Ash? Didn't he know you were there?'_

' _It's because Ash called him cute,'_  Pikachu said mildly. It was a shallow reason… but there wasn't much to stand on when there were Pokemon like Sandile who followed Ash because of good fights.

Judging by both Charmeleon and Snivy's expressions though, they both turned to look at Oshawott with a tired disbelief.

' _Like I said,'_ Pikachu continued.  _'Oshawott is young and he just doesn't understand yet.'_

Hopefully Bayleef could knock some sense into him.

-.-.-.-

"I see it!" Ash called out.

Oshawott waved excitedly from Ash's shoulder. Perched on the other side, Pikachu grinned.

"Yup, that's it," Iris said.

"The City of Art," Alain said, reading off the guide book. "Nacrene City."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Pikachu's Crazy Life: 6 vs Alain: 2
> 
> Alain takes one step forward, one step back. This poor boy. Meanwhile, Charmander evolved! Iris is learning. Augustine starts dealing with empty nest syndrome. Oh Oshawott, you sweet jealous Pokemon. He's such a problem child. We'll fix that.
> 
> We finally made it to Nacrene City! \ o /
> 
> Please leave a review on your way out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bless you all for your support ;3; I didn't expect so many people to like this fic

"Hi Professor Juniper!"

"Ash, Alain, and Iris was it? Hello!" Professor Juniper said, appearing on the screen.

A chorus of hellos greeted her back. Ash grinned. "Just wanted to give you an update on Tepig. We're at the Pokemon Center right now. Nurse Joy said he's recovering nicely. Still under weight, but I'll be able to increase his meal sizes to full sized, normal meals soon. Probably by next week."

"That's so wonderful!" Professor Juniper said. "You're doing great then."

Ash was so proud of how far Tepig had come. It would only be a matter of time before Tepig was back to normal health. His fire was still a little weak, but not much different to Alain's Tepig who was proving to be a measuring stick for a normal Tepig general's features. But considering Ash couldn't see Tepig's ribs anymore, he was considering everything so far to be a great success. Still, he would have to be careful. This was usually when things would go out of control, and he didn't want Tepig to suffer any setbacks.

"Regarding his previous Trainer," Professor Juniper said. "With the timeline you've given me, I've narrowed it down to a small handful. Three regularly keep in touch with me; they're all in various stages of their Pokemon Journey. Two stopped journeying and returned my calls. That leaves two whom I haven't been able to get in contact with." She smiled sadly. "I'm afraid, we'll just have to show Tepig the Trainer Pictures and see if he can identify which one was his previous Trainer."

Ash nodded solemnly. "Right… maybe that we reach my third Gym? I don't want him to suffer any setbacks at the moment and hopefully, by the time we reach my third Gym, he'll be back to full health and we'll have bonded close enough that he won't assume I'm trying to send him back to his previous Trainer."

Professor Juniper agreed. "That's fine. The statute of limitations on Pokemon neglect and abandonment is three years, so there's time."

"That short?" Ash asked.

Honestly, he wished he had known that about previously. Paul… it would be hard to argue, everything he had done was legitimate, even the way he had broken Chimchar's Pokeball. But Daimin and Charmander… Ash's blood still boiled about what Charmander had gone through.

"It should be longer," Professor Juniper said sadly. "But with the limitations of communications and fading memories, it gets harder to prove the longer it takes. Tepig's case will be different. You could wait the full three years and there would still be a strong case because we've been documenting his case every step of the way. But if his Trainer had abandoned a Pokemon once…"

"There's a good chance they're doing it to others," Ash finished.

"Yes," Professor Juniper said.

"Right. I'll figure out how to break it to Tepig," Ash said.

Professor Juniper beamed. "Also, I just talked to Fennel, a good friend of mine the other day. She said you had helped her find Musharna."

"Oh! You know Professor Fennel?" Iris asked. "She was nice."

"We grew up together," Professor Juniper said. "I'm so proud of you three. Musharna is one of Fennel's dearest Pokemon. She known Musharna and Munna for a long time. You made them all very happy. I haven't seen Fennel smile like that in a long time."

"Are they doing okay?" Alain asked.

"Yes. Fennel mentioned she was going to start researching Munna and Musharna's habitats. Something a little more traditional, given what happened over her last research," Professor Juniper said. "She requests if you see any Munna or Musharna, to let her know. The places where she originally met Munna and Musharna were empty, which isn't surprising given how long ago she met them. Any herd had probably moved on to a different location."

"We'll keep our eyes out," Ash promised.

"Great! Let me know if you need anything and give me a call when you reach the next Pokemon Center," Professor Juniper said.

"We will," the three teens promised.

The screen flickered black, ending the call.

"Looks like Nurse Joy isn't done with our Pokemon yet," Alain said. "Should we go grab something to eat while we wait?"

"You guys can," Ash said. "I have to call Professor Oak still."

"Did something happened?" Alain asked, instantly worried.

Well, that was one thing Ash was figuring out about Alain. Alain worried, a lot. For good reason, usually. And despite what Ash's reassurance, it seemed that whole guilt over Oshawott and Charmeleon's battle was still lingering.

"No," Ash said, punching in the numbers. It should still be daytime. "I just need him or Tracey to send me Bayleef."

"Bayleef?" Iris asked.

Alain pulled out his Pokedex from his pocket, pulling up the entry for Bayleef.

"So cute!" Iris said.

"You have a Bayleef too?" Alain said with wonder in his voice.

It was… humbling to always hear that wonder in Alain's voice. Ash really wasn't that special, not in that regard. He just liked making as many friends with as many Pokemon as he could.

"Yeah," Ash said. "I think Oshawott will benefit from meeting Bayleef. She used to have the same problem when she was a Chikorita. Hmm, maybe I should get Infernape too. Tepig should probably meet him."

The screen flickered on, Tracey appeared. "Hey Ash!"

"Hey Tracey. How are things going on at the ranch?" Ash asked.

"Oh the same, your Pokemon keep things lively here," Tracey said with a laugh. "What can I help you with?"

"I was wondering if you could send me Bayleef and Infernape, if they're not busy?" Ash asked.

"Sure thing, I'll check," Tracey said.

"Bulba bulbasaur!"  _I'll get them!_

"Or Bulbasaur will get them," Tracey said with a laugh, opening the door.

"Thanks Bulbasaur!" Ash said cheerfully.

"Oh so that's a Bulbasaur," Iris said. "What is an Infernape?"

Alain showed her a picture.

"Ah," Iris said in understanding. "Wait, if you already have these Pokemon, why didn't they come with you?"

"Well, in Bulbasaur's case, he actually helps out Professor Oak's ranch," Ash said. "Infernape had several hard fights in Sinnoh, so he deserved the break. Bayleef is practicing her healing focused moves lately. She's been taking some lessons with Chansey."

"Got them!" Tracey said. "I'll be sending them over now. Are you sending any from your current team here?"

Ash shook his head. "Might as well not. It's only going to be for a short while."

"Aren't you at six Pokemon already?" Tracey asked.

"You know, technically the ruling on that says you can only use six Pokemon in an official battle," Ash said. "There's nothing about how many Pokemon you carry with you. And you know that only reason why I don't take my entire team is because I can't feed them all with me on the road."

"The only reason?" Tracey teased, amused.

"Okay, there are more reasons than that and you know it," Ash said. It was the main reason though. He couldn't feed over sixty six Pokemon with him if they all traveled with him.

Two Pokeballs materialized one after another. "There you go, Infernape and Bayleef," Tracey said.

"Thanks Tracey!" Ash said.

The call ended and Ash picked up the two Pokeballs.

"You and Tracey must be closed friends," Iris said.

"Well, he did travel with me while I was touring the Orange Islands," Ash said.

"Oh? How did he end up as Professor Oak's assistant?" Alain asked.

Ash grinned. "He asked."

They heard Nurse Joy call them over the speaker.

"Looks like she's done," Alain said.

"Let's go!" Ash said.

He hoped this worked.

-.-.-

Oshawott was still feeling upset as Ash gave Pikachu another fond scratch.

"Okay Oshawott, I want you to meet Bayleef," Ash said, holding up a Pokeball. He tossed it and out popped a large green Pokemon.

Bayleef let out a happy cheer, butting her head against Ash. "Hey there Bayleef," Ash said, giving her pat on her head. "How are you doing?"

' _I'm doing great! Wait until you see what I can do now!'_  Bayleef said cheerfully.

Ash smiled. "Before that, there's someone I want you to meet." He gestured to Oshawott. "Bayleef this is Oshawott. He's new to the team. Oshawott, this is Bayleef."

' _Hello,'_  Bayleef said.

Oshawott gave her a disgruntled look.

Pikachu hopped over.  _'Oshawott is having some jealousy problems. Ash is hoping you could give him some advice?'_

Bayleef covered her face with her leaf.  _'Oh Arceus, it's so embarrassing for you to bring it up. I'm so sorry, Pikachu.'_

' _It's fine,'_  Pikachu said with a smile. _'We worked pass it, didn't we?'_

' _Right, right, we did,'_  Bayleef agreed.

' _I'm still here,'_  Oshawott grumbled.

Bayleef looked at him.  _'I see what you mean,'_  she said.  _'Let's go have a chat over there, where it's a little more private.'_  She wrapped a vine around Oshawott's waist and lifted him, walking to the far corner of the of the training field and away from Ash and Pikachu.

' _Don't pick me up like that!'_  Oshawott shouted, waving his arms.

Bayleef set him down.  _'Sorry,'_ she apologized.  _'Why don't tell me what has you upset?'_

' _It's not like you'll understand,'_  Oshawott complained.

' _Well, then I'll tell you about me,'_  Bayleef said, setting down on the ground to get comfortable.  _'I met Ash when I was Chikorita in Johto. I was pretty stubborn back then and when I deemed Ash worthy of a Trainer to follow, I wanted his attention all the time. I used to get jealous all the time when other Pokemon would get closed to him, especially Pikachu.'_

Oshawott exploded.  _'Why is it always Pikachu! Why does Pikachu get to stay out of his Pokeball? Why does Pikachu always get used first in battles?'_

' _Pikachu stays out of his Pokeball because being in his Pokeball hurts him,'_  Bayleef said.

' _That make no sense,'_  Oshawott said.  _'Pokeballs are comfortable!'_  They were like being wrapped up in a warm snuggly blanket. How could Pokeballs be uncomfortable?

' _They're not to Pikachu,'_  Bayleef said.  _'You're a Lab Pokemon right? You've always grown up with a Pokeball. I grew up in the wild, and even to me Pokeballs were a little disorienting. I got used to it, but Pikachu still doesn't like them and Ash respects that. If you want to stay out of your Pokeball, all you have to do is ask Ash. He's more than willing to keep you out.'_

Oshawott grew quiet. He didn't know Pokeballs could hurt some Pokemon. They were always comfortable.

' _All Ash and Pikachu will ask of you is to respect Pikachu's spot on Ash's shoulder,' Bayleef said. 'But that should be fine, because Ash has another shoulder if you want to ride.'_

That… was fair… It was exactly what they had done these last couple days before arriving in Nacrene City.

' _As for why Pikachu gets used first in battles, I assume this is outside of normal battles like gym battles and more like when you run into a wild Pokemon?'_  Bayleef asked.

' _Yes,'_  Oshawott grumbled.

' _Well, there are a couple of nice logical reasons for that,'_  Bayleef said.  _'First off, Pikachu is already out of his Pokeball, which means that several precious seconds to react are not wasted.'_

That… was fair. It still took time and Oshawott was still getting the hang of coming out of his Pokeball, ready to fire off an attack like sometimes Ash had required.

' _Second is Team Rocket.'_

' _Who?'_ Oshawott asked.

Bayleef looked at him surprised.  _'Team Rocket? A man with purple hair, a woman with red hair and a talking Meowth?'_

Oshawott blinked.  _'Oh them.'_

' _You don't run into them?'_  Bayleef asked.

' _Only once?'_  Oshawott said.  _'We haven't seen them since.'_

' _Strange,'_  Bayleef said. _'When I was with Ash full time, they used to attack us nearly every week, sometimes twice or three times a week. It's complicated, but they target Pikachu a lot. Pikachu can take care of himself, but there have been times were Team Rocket has managed to snatch up the others on Ash's Team while trying to get to Pikachu. I've been kidnapped by them once, Ash took great risk trying to rescue me.'_

And that sounded dangerous. Oshawott squirmed uncomfortably.

' _Most times, when it's something dangerous or just plain unknown, Ash will always send Pikachu first. Because,'_  Bayleef hesitated for a brief second,  _'because honestly, Pikachu is very strong. There are only a few Pokemon that Ash has who can fight against Pikachu on even ground and they're usually the ones who have evolved all the way up and train ridiculously hard.'_

She gave him a gentle smile.  _'Remember, while Type isn't everything, you are still at disadvantaged as a Water Type. If Pikachu was any less patient with you, he could have seriously shocked you by now.'_

Oshawott squirmed even more.  _'I know,'_ he said miserably.  _'But that doesn't make me weak!'_

' _No it doesn't,'_  Bayleef agreed.  _'But sometimes the stronger thing is not to fight.'_

Oshawott slumped. He had noticed that Pikachu wasn't really retaliating from his pushing. Oshawott took it as a sign of weakness but… Bayleef was saying it was sign of strength? 'I don't understand.'

' _It's about control,'_  Bayleef said. She pointed to a large tree at a particular branch with a single large leaf.  _'For example, how would you get that leaf down?'_

' _Water Gun!'_  Oshawott said. It was the only move he had that could reach it.

' _Could you do it without getting everything soaked or destroying the branch?'_  Bayleef asked.

Oshawott frowned. _'Maybe?'_

Bayleef smiled.  _'See I could use Body Slam against the tree to knock down that leaf, but all that would achieve is destroying the tree in the process. I could even use Razor Leaf but that would destroy the leaf. Instead, I could do this.'_  She let loose a single Razor Leaf, sending it flying up to the branch where it neatly sliced the large leaf from the branch. She caught the large leaf as it floated down with one of her vines, bring it in front of Oshawott.

' _Wow,'_  Oshawott said.  _'How did you do that?'_

' _Lots of practice. Sometimes pulling your full power into something isn't the best thing to do. All you need is some control and precision and it can turn it out more powerful. Eventually you'll learn to aim your Water Gun at small targets like the leaf with just enough force to knock it down and Ash will help you learn it,'_ Bayleef said.

That sounded so cool. Oshawott couldn't wait!

' _Now tell me, when you get upset or angry, what do you end up doing?'_  Bayleef asked.

Oshawott guiltily thought back to the other day when he knocked his Pokeball out of Ash's hand with his Water Gun.  _'Use Water Gun… I guess,'_  he said glumly.

' _It's our nature to use a Move when we feel threatened,'_  Bayleef said.  _'It's why every Pokemon is born with at least with one Move. Survival instinct.'_

' _Now tell me, how many times has Pikachu gotten upset with you?'_  Bayleef asked.

Oshawott thought about how angry Pikachu sounded when Oshawott pushed him off of Ash's shoulder. Or when he insisted on fighting against Charmeleon instead of Pikachu.  _'A lot,'_  he hedged.

' _And how many times has Pikachu shocked you?'_ Bayleef asked.

Oshawott tilted his head, pondering.  _'None…?'_

' _So if Pokemon used Moves when they feel upset or threaten, and you've pushed Pikachu's buttons quite a bit, what does it mean that Pikachu hasn't shocked you yet?'_ Bayleef asked.

Oh.  _'It's that control you're talking about,'_ Oshawott said.

' _Kinda. Pikachu, if he were to used his full power to knock down this leaf, he would burn this tree better than any Fire-Type could,'_  Bayleef said.  _'He is also experienced enough that he could send out a single bolt of electricity to knock the leaf down.'_

Oshawott didn't get it.

' _What Pikachu has is a lot of control, enough that no matter how angry or upset you make him, he_ _ **chooses**_ _not to shock you,'_  Bayleef said.

It clicked for Oshawott. Even though he had been in his ball at the time, he knew that Pikachu had shocked Iris for her rough handling of him. Even those kids with Trubbish had gotten a shock when they got too rough. Pikachu was capable of shocking people when he was upset. But Oshawott never got shocked.

' _Because sometimes it's stronger not to fight,'_  Oshawott said, realization snapping into place like a puzzle piece fitting perfectly together.

He owned Alain's Tepig an apology. Pikachu and Ash too.

Bayleef used one of her vines to give Oshawott a gentle squeeze. _'Ash loves you regardless. It's the best thing about him. He loves us with all of his heart and just because Pikachu is his Starter or that I've been with him longer, it doesn't mean he loves you any less.'_

' _Eventually, you'll get stronger. Strong enough to Ash will reach for you first to help with the danger. But even if you don't, he will still love you. All he wants is for you to be happy,'_  Bayleef said.  _'You could choose not to evolve, like Bulbasaur. You could choose you rather spend your time dancing instead of fighting, like Totodile. You could choose to evolve all the way, like Infernape. You could choose to get as strong as possibly could, like Pikachu. Ash will help you with your dream every step of the way.'_

' _But it will take time,'_  Bayleef said.  _'I won't tell you there's no need to be jealous of Pikachu. Instead use that as motivation to get better. It took a long time for me to realize that.'_

' _I ran away from Ash,'_  Oshawott admitted.

' _I did that too. Even beat up a gang and became their leader for a short while. It was how I got kidnapped by Team Rocket,'_  Bayleef said.  _'Ash spent all morning looking for me because I had snuck out and ignored Pikachu's advice._ '

' _Will it'll be okay?'_  Oshawott asked quietly.  _'That I'll be a strong enough Pokemon to be of use to Ash?'_

' _You already are,'_  Bayleef said confidently.

' _Then-then! I'll get stronger,'_  Oshawott said. He picked up the large leaf. This would be his new promise.  _'Until I can shoot down a leaf just like you can.'_

He felt a pulse of energy built up, different than his usual water and let it go. Grass sprouted out of the training ground, tying neatly into knots.

' _Oh! Congrats, it's looks like you learned Grass Knot,'_  Bayleef said. _'That's a good move for you. They won't expect you to have it.'_

Oshawott stared at the leaf before looking at the little knot of grass.  _'Can you teach me?'_

' _Of course! I learned it a little while ago. Then we can go show Ash!'_  Bayleef said.

Oshawott smiled. He was getting stronger!

-.-.-

While Oshawott and Bayleef had moved away to talk, Ash moved onto his next project. "Hey Tepig. There's someone I want you meet."

Tepig looked at him nervously. Who was it?

"It will be okay," Ash reassured him. He sent out Infernape.

' _Hey Ash!'_  Infernape said. He looked down at Tepig.  _'A new teammate! And he's a Fire-Type.'_

' _H-hello,'_  Tepig said. Infernape was big, bigger than Tepig imagined. Despair welled up in his heart. Ash had a strong Fire-Type like Infernape already? How was he supposed to compare? Was he going to be let go?

"Right, Tepig, this is Infernape. I met him in the last region I visited. Infernape, this is Tepig. You two have some things in common," Ash said.

Infernape tilted his head. _'Somehow I get the feeling you're not talking about that fact that we're Fire Types.'_ He crouched down to Tepig's level. _'Hey did your previous Trainer abandon you too?'_

Fear gripped Tepig's heart. H-how did Infernape know? Wait…  **too**?

' _Infernape!'_  Pikachu shouted, slamming a paw to his face.

' _What?'_  Infernape asked.

' _Sometimes I think Ash encouraged your straightforward honest questions a little too much,'_ Pikachu grumbled.  _'I'm sure you remember how hesitant you felt when you first joined us.'_

' _Right,'_  Infernape said.  _'Sorry, Tepig. Ash really encouraged me to be open and honest with my questions and feelings. It was less confusing that way, so I wasn't second guessing everything. But like Pikachu said, it means sometimes I come across without tact.'_

Tepig nodded. That… made sense.  _'What… what did you mean by too?'_  he asked quietly.

Infernape took a seat on the ground. ' _My previous Trainer was… demanding. I could never perform to his expectations and he was very harsh with his training. I would go days and nights without food and rest, trying to summon that power he wanted.'_

That… sound terrible. Tepig stared at Infernape in horror.

' _Eventually, I failed one too many times and he released me, told me I wasn't good enough, wasn't strong enough to be part of his team,'_  Infernape said.  _'And then Ash offered to let me join his team. It was rough. Felt like a dream to be treated with kindness and love.'_

' _How do you make it stop feeling like a dream?'_  Tepig asked. Because even now, Tepig sometimes woke up in a cold sweat, feeling like he was back Accumula Town. There were days where he still felt the rope tangled around his snout, pulling tighter and tighter.

' _Time and your own belief,'_  Infernape said with a gentle smile.  _'I could tell you Ash won't abandoned you, but you don't really quite believe it, do you?'_

Tepig winced in shame, looking down. Ash had promised. But so had Shamus…

' _It's like waiting for another attack that you know is following up, right?'_  Infernape said. ' _You keep bracing for the hit.'_

Yes! That was exactly what it felt like. Tepig nodded frantically.

' _Eventually, you'll believe it. I don't know what it'll take for you to believe it. For me, it didn't hit until we sat down for a picnic one day and I was being offered food,'_  Infernape said. ' _It's scary and unknown. Like you're about jump off a tall cliff and have to trust that Ash will catch you when you fall. Eventually making that decision to jump, knowing with all your heart that Ash will catch you will be easier.'_

Trust… Tepig thought. Did he trust Ash? He was sure he did. Maybe he didn't… and maybe that was why these feelings wouldn't go away.

But it was reassuring to meet someone like Infernape. Someone who had went through something similar and was still with Ash. There was something that still bothered him.

' _Why aren't you with Ash now?'_  Tepig asked.

' _Couple reasons,'_  Infernape said.  _'First, it's a bit of tradition for Ash to travel to a new region with only Pikachu and I can't speak of why exactly he does it. You'll have to ask him. Second, the last several battles we had in Sinnoh were pretty exhausting. League was especially tough. I really needed the break and staying at Professor Oak's ranch was a good way to relax and recover. Third, staying at Professor Oak's ranch allowed me to get to know the rest of Ash's Pokemon. They're all great; we're all part of the same family after all. It also allows me to practice and improve on some of my techniques and attacks too._

' _Ash's Sceptile is amazing to spar against. Ash teaches us that Type isn't everything and let me tell you, Sceptile drives that point home. You would think Sceptile is a Grass Pokemon, I would have an advantage, but nope. Sceptile beats me every time. I'm getting better though!_

' _One day, you'll come to the ranch and I'll introduce you!'_ Infernape said.

Tepig could admit that did sound pretty fun.

' _If you ever want to talk about having a bad previous Trainer, you can always get Ash to bring me over,'_  Infernape said. _'If I'm not available, Quilava is a good Pokemon to talk to too. She's pretty calm.'_

' _Quilava was abandoned too?'_  Tepig asked with wide eyes.

' _She narrowly avoided the issue thanks to Ash,'_  Infernape said. _'There was a Trainer who was relentlessly stalking her for days and he wasn't a good Trainer either. And even when Ash caught her, that Trainer tried to take her._

' _He's not always at the ranch, but Charizard is another Pokemon you can speak to. If you ask me, he had the worst one. I may have suffered longer, but when I was finally released, if Ash hadn't offered to let me join his team, I was still healthy enough that I could have survived in the wild. Charizard's previous Trainer abandoned him as a Charmander right around the same time a storm was rolling in. It nearly killed him if Ash hadn't found him.'_

Tepig went quiet. So he wasn't alone in with his issue. It was nice to know that he could talk to someone else about it too.

' _Recovery is rough and we'll carry those scars forever,'_  Infernape said.  _'I still get flashbacks to my training. Quilava doesn't go anywhere by herself. Charizard well, he's Charizard. I thought my relationship with Ash was rocky, but Charizard went through a whole range of up, downs and crash landings with Ash._

' _It won't magically go away, but it will get better. We, Ash and all of his Pokemon, will help you,'_ Infernape said.  _'You don't have to do it alone. That's what it means to be part of a family.'_

Tepig felt tears well up. He had a family with Ash's team. He was wanted. He was needed.  _'Okay,'_  he said with a shaky voice.

' _Great! Now I'm going to give some advice. It's gonna sound like empty words to you, probably, because it sounded like empty words to me when I first heard them,'_  Infernape said.

Tepig nodded. He would try and take them to heart anyways!

' _It's okay if you lose,'_  Infernape said.  _'It feels miserable, but Ash won't abandon you for it. When in doubt, ask. Feeling doubtful whether you're a valuable member of the team? Ask Ash, he'll tell you. It's also okay to ask things like if you can stop and rest, or if you want to keep on trying. Ash will stop you if it's bad for your health. Got that?'_

Tepig felt skeptical but Infernape did say it would ring hollow with him.  _'Yes! It's really okay to lose?'_

' _Yes,'_  Infernape said.  _'It's more important that you at least tried.'_

' _Okay…'_ Tepig said. He wasn't going to lose though! He didn't want to!

' _Now let's see if you can't teach you a new move,'_  Infernape said, getting to his feet.

Tepig looked at up in wonder.  _'A new move?'_

' _Might as well!'_  Infernape said.  _'Do you know Flame Charge yet?'_

Tepig shook his head.

' _Then let's start with that one,'_  Infernape said.

He was going to learn a new attack! Tepig beamed.  _'Yes please!'_

-.-.-

"Looks like they're getting along nicely," Alain said, looking down at Ash.

Sitting on the ground, Ash smiled easily watching as his Pokemon interact. "Yeah," he said in quiet happy tone. Pikachu let out a content "Chaa", agreeing with him.

"You're so weird," Iris said. "You have these perfectly strong Pokemon with you and you didn't even bring them with you to Unova."

"He's already explained why they didn't come with them," Alain shot back.

Ash shrugged. "It's just something that happens."

Oshawott wandered over to Ash, paws behind his back as he sheepishly looked down at the ground.

"Oshawott wott oshawott."  _I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused._

Pikachu reached out to pat Oshawott. "Pika pipi."  _You're forgiven._

Oshawott looked up at Ash. Ash just smiled, picking him for a hug. "You're forgiven, Oshawott. I'm glad Bayleef was able to help. Thanks Bayleef."

"Bayleef."  _You're welcome._  She extended a vine out, nudging Oshawott forward. "Leef."  _Show them._

Oshawott nodded and clenched, his eyes glowing green and blades of grass sprouted from the ground, tying into neat little knots.

"You learned Grass Knot!" Ash said giving Oshawott a hug. "That's great, Oshawott!"

Alain blinked.

"Wait," Iris said. "That's a Grass Move. How did… how does a Water-Type like Oshawott learn a Grass Move?"

Alain wished he had an answer.

A sound of explosions went off on the other side of the field.

"Infernape? Tepig!?" Ash called out.

The two Fire-Types rolled out of the smoke. Infernape gave Ash a thumbs up. "Infernape."  _We're okay._

"Hopefully Nurse Joy won't be too angry at us for destroying the training field," Alain said.

"It'll fine," Ash said.

Another round of explosions went off.

"...Maybe I should keep an eye on them." Ash said. "Oshawott, be ready to use Water Gun just in case something catches fire."

"Good idea," Iris said.

-.-.-

" _You disappoint me."_

_Alain felt his stomach drop, the shame burning. Lysandre loomed, looking down at him._

" _Let's take this to the battlefield. Bring Charmeleon," Lysandre said._

" _D-Director," Alain said._

" _That was an order," Lysandre said._

_Alain clenched his fists, sweat running down his face as Pyroar landed another Fire Fang on Charmeleon's arm. He trembled as Charmeleon let out a pained cry, too tired to dodge from the relentless fire attacks Pyroar unleashed earlier._

' _Please,' he mentally begged. 'Stop!'_

" _Charmeleon!"_

Alain jolted awake. He trembled, chills running up and down his body. Pressing a hand to his face, he swallowed the cries threatening to spill out. He had nearly forgotten about that… but Charmeleon evolving again had brought it back.

He was a terrible Trainer.

Lysandre used Pokemon Battles to drive home his point. They were brutal and to Alain's shame, Charmeleon bore the brunt of it. It never damped Charmeleon's spirits, who insisted on getting stronger and stronger. But Alain…

Alain never realized that he had stopped questioning Lysandre completely after a while, not wanting Charmeleon and later Charizard to suffer under Pyroar's relentless attacks.

Oh Arceus he had been so blind.

"Alain?"

Alain drew a sharp breath, choking as his heart practically jumped into his throat. "A-Ash?"

Under the bright glow of the moon, Ash looked at him tiredly, eyes red rimmed. Pikachu was flopped over Ash's shoulder, blearily blinking at Alain.

"Pikachu and I couldn't sleep," Ash said. "Do you want something from the cafeteria downstairs?"

Alain was so grateful that Ash hadn't asked what was wrong.

"I-I," Alain started only to be interrupt with the creaking of a bed.

Iris rolled over in her bed, still fast asleep as she adjusted her to her position. Axew hadn't even moved his spot.

"I'll come with you," Alain said tiredly, remembering that this particular Pokemon Center had larger sleeping quarters and as a result, Iris had roomed with them.

Ash let out a soft snort. "Yeah, at least one of us should get a good night's sleep."

-.-.-

The cafeteria was quiet. At three in the morning, there was practically no one around, saved for the Audino who manning from behind the counter.

Alain stared down at his cup of cocoa, peering into the dark liquid. Across from him, Ash was doing the same. Pikachu it seemed to managed to fall asleep again, slumbering within easy reach of Ash's hand.

Alain watched the tiny marshmallows bob in his cup, slowly sinking and melting, disappearing into the rich chocolate. He took another deep breath, trying not to tremble and fall apart.

"I should at least ask," Ash said breaking the silence to look at Alain. "Are you okay?"

Alain blinked at him. "Ye-" The words died in his mouth, remembering the last time he had lied and the price Ash had paid for it. "No," he whispered quietly instead.

"Are you?" Alain asked after a beat of silence. Ash looked almost as badly as Alain was currently feeling. There was no trace of that upbeat boy Alain knew. Just tired eyes and a long frown that looked familiar.

"I've been better," Ash said, but didn't elaborate further.

Everything was a mess. Was the other Ash Alain knew like this too and Alain just never had a chance to find out?

Are they the same? Would they be the same? Alain felt his head spin, thoughts swirling with maybes and what-ifs. He hadn't… there wasn't… He was sure Professor Sycamore was the same, even Sophie, Cosette, Garchomp. But… but… aside from that brief conversation before the finals, Alain hadn't… even  **met**  with Professor Sycamore. There was nothing to compare to what might have been different.

But Ash… Charmeleon…

Ash had been unbreakable happy teenager in Alain's mind. Ash made things new, different, exciting. Ash pushed him to higher goals, better than any other Trainer Alain had battle against.

There was joy in Ash's eyes, an easy love when he was surrounded by his friends, human and Pokemon alike. Losing never stopped him, he just got right back up and pushed harder, giving an even better challenge.

Alain had looked forward to meeting Ash all the time. Looked forward to the new battles and the happy wide smile Ash had, just like Mairin. Looking back, he hadn't realized how adrift he was and Ash had been like a lighthouse, guiding him back to the shore.

So… was this Ash before him that same, would be that same, Ash Alain remembered? Or was the bright smile Alain often saw just a mask that shone like a sun during the day and hide at night until these quiet hours and long dark shadows? Or had traveling through Unova settled whatever this Ash (and maybe the Ash he had known) had suffered?

Alain had no way of knowing, had no way of asking the Ash he had known because, because, because, he had died, dead, and it was all Alain's fault-

He drowned quietly under the guilt.

How do you deal with the fact that the people and Pokemon in front of him wouldn't be the same people and Pokemon he remembered them as? Ash was different, not the same boy Alain had met in Kalos and Alain had no way of knowing if he would grow into that person or if Alain had changed enough things it would be differences regardless.

Perhaps it would be for the best.

Sure they would be different, but… Chespin wouldn't get hurt and Mairin wouldn't lose her smile. Charmeleon would never know the pain inflicted by Pyroar.

Still, Alain mourned the loss of Charizard, mourned the friendship he had build with Mairin, mourned the loss of opportunities with the Ash he used to look up to.

Ash slide a napkin across the table.

Alain touched his face, realizing tears had been falling. "Thanks," he said weakly, wiping his face.

"You welcome," Ash said tiredly.

The two of them sat in quietly, lost in thoughts into the silence of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Pikachu's Crazy Life: 7 vs Alain: 2
> 
> Two boys and the quiet of night. Sometimes the hardest part is when you have quiet moments to  _think_.
> 
> Oshawott is growing up *wipes tears away.* I'm so proud. Tepig, oh Tepig.
> 
> Yes Oshawott can totally learn Grass Knot. It's a valid move! Sure, via TM as far as the games are concerned, but still valid! 
> 
> Please leave a review on your way out.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hah! I think the plunny is finally letting go.

Augustine yawned, flipping through the paperwork. There was still plenty of backlog to go through. He casually read the list of Starters who had been given out to new Trainers. He noted the early Trainer he had approved had stopped by, taking a Chespin with her. Another girl had picked up a Bulbasaur and a boy had taken a Froakie while Augustine had been away.

That was good. Augustine smiled fondly. He wished they were well.

He placed the paperwork in its proper place before glancing at the clock. The mail should be arriving soon. In fact, he had seen the mail trunk roll by. Augustine headed towards the front door, opening it and nearly tripped.

"Froakie?!" Augustine said, startled, twisting and hitting the door frame instead of stepping on the small frog Pokemon.

Froakie croaked, looking a little dejected.

"W-what are you doing out here?" Augustine asked. He looked closer, recognizing that this particular Froakie wasn't any of the Froakies still in the lab. In fact, Augustine was certain it was the Froakie who had just left the lab with a young boy Trainer while Augustine was away.

Froakie just hopped inside, looking increasingly miserable.

Augustine kneeled down, examining for injuries. "Where is your Trainer?" Augustine asked.

Froakie turned his head away.

Augustine felt his heart sink. Oh no. "Did… he abandon you?"

"Professor!" Sophie said, coming down the hall. "There's call from a Trainer saying he wants to return his Froakie. Only Froakie had vanished! Wait- Froakie?"

Augustine blinked at Sophie, surprised before turning back to Froakie. He mentally winced. Oh no. Sometimes a Pokemon and Trainer didn't click together. He sighed. "Tell the Trainer we got Froakie," Augustine said.

Gently, he picked up Froakie. "Welcome back, Froakie," he said. "Don't worry, everything will be okay."

Froakie clutched his sleeve and nodded.

-.-.-

"Alright, let's find Nacrene Gym," Ash said.

Alain blinked groggily. Where did Ash get his energy from? Given how little sleep they had both gotten last night, he was surprised to find Ash still brimming with energy when morning came.

"You're such a-" Iris started.

"Don't, Iris," Alain said sharply, cutting her off. "Just don't."

She looked at him, annoyed, but let it drop.

"Nacrene Gym is in the Nacrene Museum," Ash said cheerfully. "Nurse Joy told me when I asked."

He hopped off with a skip in his step, Pikachu happily sitting on his shoulders.

"It feels like all he thinks about is Gym Battles," Iris said with a sigh.

"Let him," Alain said.

Iris placed her hand on her hip. "You're very grouchy today."

"We're going to lose Ash at this rate," Alain pointed out, ignoring her words. Ash was already weaving through the crowds for people, getting further and further away. "We better follow after him."

Iris sighed again. "Boys. Let's go."

-.-.-

"Hello! I'm here to challenge the gym!" Ash shouted. Pikachu shouted with him.

"Not so loud," a woman stepping out. She rubbed her eyes, looking exhausted.

"Um, are you okay?" Ash asked.

"I'm fine," the woman said. "We just spent the night helping a Yamask out of the exhibit. I'm Lenora, the Gym Leader of Nacrene Gym. Who are you?"

Ash smiled. "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! This is my partner, Pikachu. We're here to challenge your Gym."

"Ash Ketchum," Lenora said. "Hmm you're the boy Cilan was talking about."

"Ahaha," Ash said nervously scratching his cheek. "Heard me already?"

"Cilan said you had a mysterious flavor unlike any he has tasted," Lenora said with a wink. "He also said you're an old hand at Gym Runs despite your young appearance but not to bring my best team out against you. Now tell me why I shouldn't be bringing my best team face you?"

"Old hand?" Iris asked with confusion.

Five regions and the mention of league during Sinnoh, Alain was certain that old hand was probably an understatement. He wouldn't be surprised if Ash had done league in all five.

Ash grinned sheepishly. "I may be an old hand, but most of my Pokemon are still quite young."

"Oh?" Lenora said. "How many young Pokemon are you carrying?"

"Five," Ash said.

"And how many experienced Pokemon?"

Ash's eyes darted back and forth. "Um… three…?"

Lenora raised an eyebrow. "That's more than six Pokemon."

" _Technically,_ " Ash said stressing the word. "The officially ruling is only six Pokemon in official battle, doesn't actually limit how many you can carry on you at any time."

Lenora laughed. "I'm starting to see why Cilan liked you so much! Very well Ash. I have just the battle set up for you. Two Double Battles matches. One young Pokemon teamed up with one experienced Pokemon. What do you say?"

Ash clenched his fist, fired up. "Yes! That sounds great!"

"Two Double Battles," Alain said. He didn't even know you could do something like that. Mega Evolution battles were strictly one on one. He had known there were other styles but he had never seen a battle like that before.

"Then let's begin!" Lenora said.

-.-.-

"Let's go Tepig, Infernape!" Ash said, throwing the two Pokeballs.

In a flash of light, his two Fire-Type appeared.

"Infernape ape."  _Looks like we're fighting together._

"Te-pig!"  _I'll do my best!_

"Lillipup, Braviary, let's show them what we can do!" Lenora said.

Ash grinned, pulling out his Pokedex, reading off the entries. They were so cute and cool looking.

"Lillipup, Shadow Ball! Braviary, Sky Attack!"

Lillipup charged up a Shadow Ball, growing it twice the size of it and firing. Braviary soared high up, energy cloaking around its body.

"Tepig watch out!" Ash said. "Dodged left. Infernape after that Braviary, Mach Punch!"

Infernape was already jumping into the air, fist glowing and colliding with Braviary.

Tepig dodged left, and looked around confused.

"In-ape! Ape infernape!"  _Don't stand there! Keep moving so you don't get hit!_

Infernape scooped up Tepig, dodging another Shadow Ball and jumping high over Bravivary's Attack.

"Look out for the rebound! Tepig!" Ash shouted. "Use Ember!"

Tepig let loose a burst of fire. Bravivary swerved, dodging it easy and striking them both.

Infernape and Tepig fell, crashing to the ground.

"Lillipup, Take Down!"

"Tepig look out!"

Tepig wobbled to his feet. He reoriented himself just in time to see Lillipup charging at him before he went flying across the ground.

"Tepig!" Ash shouted.

Tepig was unconscious.

"Tepig is unable to battle," the referee announced.

Ash returned him. "Good job Tepig."

"Don't forget the battle is still going," Lenora warned. "Bravivary, Superpower! Lillipup, Shadow Ball!"

Bravivary let out a screeching cry, glowing brightly. Rocks began to levitate. Bravivary flapped its wings, sending the rocks flying. Lillipup let loose a barrage of Shadow Balls.

"Counter Shield!" Ash called out.

Infernape spun, activating Flame Wheel, becoming a ball of fire. Flamethrower shot out, striking down the Shadow Balls and Rocks.

"W-what is that?" Lenora asked.

"He knocked them all down," Alain said, eyes wide.

"No way," Iris said. "I didn't know Infernape can do that."

"Mach Punch!" Ash shouted.

The flames disbursed, embers flying. Infernape smoothly transition, fist glowing as he landed the punch on Bravivary, sending him crashing towards the ground, right on top of Lillipup. It hit the ground with a loud thud, kicking up dirt everywhere.

"Bravivary! Lillipup!" Lenora shouted.

The dust settled… and both her Pokemon were down for the count.

"Bravivary and Lillipup are unable to battle," the referee announced. "Winner, Infernape and Ash!"

"Not bad," Lenora said, returning her Pokemon. "Interesting strategy too."

"Gotta keep everyone on their toes," Ash said cheerfully. "Good job Infernape."

Infernape threw his arm around Ash's shoulder, pulling him in for a hug. "Infernape! Inin infernape."  _Thanks! I'll talk to Tepig later._

Ash smiled and returned his Pokemon.

"Let's see what else you go," Lenora said, throwing out two more Pokeballs.

Watchog and Sawsbuck materialized, ready for battle.

"Here we go, Bayleef, Oshawott!" Ash said, sending out his Pokemon.

Bayleef and Oshawott landed on the ground, already fired up.

"Ho, quite an interesting combination," Lenora said. "Watchog, Confuse Ray!"

"Look out!" Ash shouted.

Bayleef and Oshawott split, dodging the bright beam.

"Sawsbuck, Jump Kick! Watchog, Superfang!"

Bayleaf launched herself backwards with her vines to avoid Sawsbuck's kick. The dust flew, dropping the visibility of the area.

"Wild Charge," Lenora said.

Bayleef let out a cry, as through the dust something had glowed orange and suddenly rammed into her, throwing across the ground.

"Oshawott, block Watchog's attack with Razor Shell!" Ash shouted. "Bayleef, Headbutt!"

Oshawott swung his scalchop just in time to defend against Watchog's glowing teeth. Sparks flew as they clashed together.

"BAYLEEF!"  _Jump back!_

Oshawott jumped back just in time for Sawsbuck was knocked back by Bayleef's headbutt, stumbling over Watchog knocking them both over.

"Don't let them recover!" Ash shouted. "Oshawott use Grass Knot! Bayleef, Body Slam!"

"What?" Lenora said. "Oshawott can use Grass Knot?"

Oshawott concentrated really hard, eyes glowing a bright green. Thousands of blades of grass sprouted from the ground, wrapping around Watchog and Sawsbuck, preventing them from getting up. Bayleef jumped high into the ground, dropping down hard on them.

BOOM!

There in the newly created crater was an unconscious Sawsbuck and Watchog.

"Watchog and Sawsbuck are unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Winner, Bayleef, Oshawott and Ash!"

"Heh," Lenora said, returning her Pokemon. "Just like Cilan said. You're a strange one, Ash." She pulled out a badge and handed it to him. "Congratulations, you just earned yourself a Basic Badge."

Ash beamed. "Thank you!"

"If your experienced Pokemon were anything to judge by, your young ones are going to be fantastic by the time you're done with them," Lenora said.

"Thank you," Ash said, beaming. "Alright! I got another badge!"

-.-.-

"Congratulations, Ash," Alain said. They were headed back to the Pokemon Center, after saying goodbye to Lenora. The late afternoon meant there were more people out and about, the streets crowded.

"Thanks!" Ash said. Pikachu chimed after him, echoing the same sentiment.

"What was that thing Infernape did?" Iris asked.

"Counter Shield," Ash explained. "It's a technique I came up with in Sinnoh. It's a good defense and a good offense."

"That's amazing," Alain said. "I had never seen anything like it."

Ash blushed. "Thanks, Alain."

"You really are a good Trainer," Iris said.

Ash shrugged. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not."

-.-.-

Tepig popped out of his Pokeball, shame burning in his chest. He was unconscious for the rest of the battle, but Infernape had filled him in while Nurse Joy had taken care of them.

He lost. Plain and simple. He lost. On top of that, he was the only one who lost. Oshawott was excitedly talking to Bayleef about their battle and how well it went.

"Hey Tepig," Ash said, crouching down to his level.

Tepig took several steps back, ducking to hide behind Infernape's legs.

' _Hey now. Why are you hiding behind my legs?'_  Infernape asked.

' _I let Ash down,'_  Tepig said, pressing his face into Infernape's leg, trembling.  _'I lost the battle.'_

Infernape reached down to pat him.  _'Frustrating isn't it?_ '

Tepig nodded miserably.

' _But take a look. Is Ash really mad at you for losing?'_

Hesitating, Tepig peeked out from behind Infernape's legs. There was Ash, still crouching down with a gentle smile on his face. No, Ash didn't look angry at all.

"You did good today, Tepig. It was a great battle," Ash said.

Tepig felt the tears bubble up, falling from his face. He raced into Ash's arms. _'I'm sorry! I'm sorry!'_

Ash scooped him up in a tight hug. "There's no need to cry," Ash said. "You did great today and even though it's frustrating to lose, we'll keep trying okay?"

Tepig nodded. He'll get stronger and stronger!

-.-.-.-

_Iris trembled, back pressed against the wall as a looming Abomasnow stared down at her. "Excadrill!" she said, throwing a Pokeball. "Please help!"_

_Excadrill landed on the ground and scoffed at her. He crossed his arms and turned away._

_Iris felt her temper snap. "If you're gonna be like, just go!" she shouted._

_Excadrill swiped his claws, using Metal Claw to destroy his Pokeball and walked away, leaving Iris to face the Abomasnow alone._

Iris woke up screaming. Tears streamed down her face and she went scrambling for her Pokeballs, finding both Axew's and Excadrill's. Excadrill's Pokeball was still intact, the red light still on to indicate that he was still in there.

She let out another heavy sob, chest heaving. Excadrill was still here. He hadn't left her. She hadn't told him to leave.

It didn't matter how angry Excadrill was at her. It didn't matter how poorly of a Trainer she really was. Excadrill was still here and she could hope and pray that one day they would make up.

"Axew-ax?"  _Are you okay?_

Iris turned around, rubbing her face, trying to stop the tears. "I'm sorry, Axew. Did I wake you?"

She picked him up and gave him a tight hug. "I must have woken everyone-"

Iris looked around to see nothing but empty beds. No Ash, no Pikachu, no Alain either. It wasn't like they left her completely. Their stuff was still here, they just weren't in bed. She walked over, touching Ash's bed. Cold. Alain's bed was the same, meaning neither had left recently.

"Where did they go?" she asked.

"Ax-ew."  _Maybe downstairs?_

Iris grabbed a sleeping robe and threw it over her pajamas. She picked up Axew and locked the door, heading towards the stairs. At four in the morning, it was quiet. Dimmed lights and soft moonlight led her down the hallway.

She came down the stairs, to the main level of the Pokemon Center. Iris looked back and forth. "I don't think they could go to the front," she said to herself. The front was were Nurse Joy was. So maybe towards the back to the cafeteria?

She turned right, peeking into the sitting areas to make sure Ash and Alain weren't in there. Crowded in the corner was a small group of sleeping Trainers, their bags and Pokemon slumbering around them. They were, Iris noted, probably the ones who couldn't get a boarding room for the night. In the city especially, the boarding rooms at the Pokemon Center filled up quickly, just due to the amount of traveling trainers. Hotels were something only a few Trainers could regularly afford, so it wasn't too unusual to find piles of sleeping Trainers in the free spaces of the Pokemon Center.

Iris pushed open the door to the cafeteria, waving hello to the Audino behind the corner.

"Axew!" Axew said, pointing.  _There they are!_

Sure enough, Ash and Alain were sitting at a booth to the far left.

Iris hesitated, biting her lip. They looked  _ **miserable**_.

Alain had red eyes and a pile of napkins crowding near his free hand as he stared at his empty mug as if it held all the answers in the world. Charmeleon was dozing, his head in Alain's lap, stretched out across the bench. Alain's other hand was rested on Charmeleon's head as if reassuring himself that Charmeleon was there.

Ash on the other hand looked hollow, staring off in the distance with empty eyes. There was no trace of that friendly smile Iris had come to see every day. Exhaustion clung to Ash like an old wore cloak, heavy and dragging him down. Even Pikachu, stretched out in front of Ash was looking glum.

Pikachu was the one who noticed her. "Pikapi," Pikachu said, sitting upright.  _Ash_

Ash blinked, the emptiness fading as he turned to look. "Iris?"

Alain barely moved, just a barely flicker of a glance to acknowledge her was all he did.

"Hi," Iris said, approaching the booth. "Why are you two up?"

"Couldn't sleep," the two boys chimed.

Sometimes… it was scary how alike Ash and Alain were. Iris really wished they wouldn't share this particular trait together.

"Want to talk about it?" Iris asked.

"No," they said.

Iris felt her temper flare. These two were such… such… children!

"Do you want to talk about yours, Iris?" Ash asked.

Iris shuddered as Ash pinned her with a bright clear gaze. It reminded her of Drayden, a wise understanding that seemed to only come with age. Why Ash had such a look, she didn't know.

"What do you mean?" she said hotly instead, temper still snapping.

"It's four in the morning," Alain said dryly, finally looking at her. "And you're up instead of sleeping."

Alain on the other hand, looked like he had gone through the worst of battles. Iris remembered seeing some of the strongest, most scarred, battle harden dragon Pokemon back home, and Alain reminded her of them.

She wondered what they had seen to look at her like that. This wasn't the childish Trainer and quiet Professor Assistant she traveled with.

" _You've got good senses, Iris. Learn to trust them. Sometimes what you see isn't what you're sensing and it's like that for a reason."_

She really had been underestimating them, hadn't she? Judging them by what she saw. Ash, for all his strange and unorthodox methods and naive mistakes, was a strong Trainer she had never had a chance to really understand. Sure, he didn't take things like Type Advantage which was practically common sense seriously, but… he won all the time too. It wasn't just a fluke. And he had strong Pokemon, like Bayleef and Infernape. Yet he came to Unova with only Pikachu?

Alain was just… contradictory. He cared about research sure, noting down strange observations and doing things like taking advantage of Nacrene Museum's library. But he took training as seriously as Ash, enough to the point where she wondered why Alain wasn't doing a Gym Run too.

They were strange, not fitting into any of the neat boxes Iris had used to defined her life.

But then again, Iris didn't fit into a neat little box either.

"It was about Excadrill," Iris said instead, offering the explanation out like an olive branch.

Maybe one day… she could tell them what had happen. Maybe Ash or Alain could help her with Excadrill.

"Charmeleon," Alain said curtly, running a hand across Charmeleon's head.

Iris winced. If it was anything like her dream with Excadrill, she didn't blame Alain's shortness.

"Rota," Ash said.

"Who?" Iris asked.

"Not a who, a what," Ash said. "Rota Kingdom is located in Northern Kanto." He said nothing more, that empty look haunting his eyes. Pikachu pressed a comforting paw to Ash's hand.

"Audino?"  _Hot cocoa?_  Audino held out the tray with three steaming cups of hot cocoa and plate of Poffins.

"Oh, thank you, Iris said, taking the mugs. Axew hopped out of her arms, reaching for the Poffins.

Ash shuffled over, making space for her as Alain handed over his and Ash's empty cups to Audino.

"Dino-au audino no," Audino said, taking the dirty dishes.  _I hope you three feel better soon._

Silence fell after Audino left. Alain returned to staring at his fresh mug of hot cocoa and Ash went back to staring off into the distance.

Iris fidgeted, wanting to break the silence, but not knowing how. She gripped her mug tightly. Maybe it was for the best. They didn't want to talk about it and she didn't want the questions reflected back to her. Let the secrets lie in the shadows they hid.

She didn't want to face what she was running from.

-.-.-

A smile curled on his lips as he observed the Trainer who had just wandered into the ruins. One of her Pokemon, a Mawile, trailed after her, looking around curiously.

How interesting. He could use this.

-.-.-

"Alright, let's go!" Ash said.

Both Alain and Iris blinked at him. "Where on earth do you get your energy from?" Alain asked, fighting off a yawn.

"Yeah, where," Iris asked.

Ash smiled. He didn't really know where the energy came from either, but there had been worst conditions he had traveled under.

"Wait, yesterday-," Iris said.

"Yes," Alain said.

"No wonder you're so grumpy," Iris said.

Ash hummed, letting the rest of their conversation fade into the background. It was bright new day and he had a good feeling something great was going to happen. Maybe his Pokemon Egg will finally hatch? Nurse Joy mentioned it would be soon.

But two badges down, no Team Rocket in sight and the lack of good sleep aside, things had been going well.

Eventually, Nacrene City fade from view, and they found themselves on a hill overlooking the road they would be traveling on.

"The Egg is flashing," Ash said excitedly.

They came to a stop, pulling off to the grassy side. Ash gently pulled the egg out of the incubator, resting it comfortably on the blanket. Axew excitedly ran around, waving his arms.

"This is your first time seeing an egg hatch, isn't it Axew?" Iris said.

"I wonder what it will be," Alain said. Charmeleon stared down at the Pokemon Egg in wonder.

"A great Pokemon," Ash said, confidently. Pikachu chimed him in agreement.

Then like most things in Ash's life, a great amount of timing and chaotic energy struck and Axew tripped, hitting Pokemon Egg and rolling down the hill.

Pikachu reacted first, jumping down the hill.

"The Egg!" Ash shouted, running after it.

"Oh no," Alain said. Him and Charmeleon following after them.

"Come back here!" Iris shouted, scooping Axew up into her arms.

Ash felt his heart drop as the Egg launched itself into the air from the monument and poorly placed slated rock sending it high up in the air. Oh no. Oh no.

There was a flash of blue and someone had caught the egg.

Ash skidded to a stop, not quite believing his eyes.

"A Lucario," Alain said, coming to a stop behind him.

Indeed, a Lucario had caught the Pokemon Egg. But that wasn't what caught Ash by surprise. It was the Trainer next to Lucario, with his blue jacket and blue hat. An old friend he hadn't seen in several months now.

"Riley," Ash said. "What are you doing here?"

Riley smiled. "Hello Ash."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Pikachu's Crazy Life: 7 vs Alain: 2
> 
> Who let these three kids go out by themselves? Dorks. Dorks who are having sleeping issues.
> 
> Also hey, hi Riley! (Riley is the best. How could I not introduce my other favorite Pokemon Character? *swoons*)
> 
> Please leave a review on your way out.


	9. Chapter 9

Alain took one look at the apprehension on Ash's face and decided he didn't like this "Riley" character.

"Who are you?" Alain said, stepping forward, placing him before Ash and Pikachu. Charmeleon had followed him, growling.

"I'm Riley and this is my partner Lucario," Riley said, looking amused. "We met Ash back in Sinnoh. I would like a private conversation with him."

"Alain, it's fine," Ash said, reaching out. "I'm just surprised to see him. Could you keep an eye on the Pokemon Egg?"

Alain looked back at him. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly.

Ash nodded. "Yeah. It's fine."

Alain still didn't like it. If this was really a friend, Ash wouldn't look so apprehensive. Lucario held out the Pokemon Egg for Alain to take. Alain gently picked it up, cradling it in his arms. "Okay," he said.

He trusted Ash.

-.-.-

Under normal circumstances, Ash would have been thrilled to see Riley. But there was something hovering just beyond Ash's senses that told him he really wasn't going to like what Riley had to say.

"I thought you were helping Professor Carolina," Ash said, not quite looking Riley in the eye. Pikachu pressed closed to Ash, the soft buzz of electricity, his own tension humming in Ash's ear.

"This was more important," Riley said. "And I think you know why I'm here."

Ash tensed further.

"How long have you been able to use Aura, Ash?" Riley asked as gently as he could.

Ash felt his heart drop, stomach clenching. Yes, this was exactly what he was trying to avoid.

"It was hard to notice last time, with all the trouble Team Galactic was causing," Riley continued. "At first, I thought you were someone who just had the capability for Aura. But when I stopped to think about it, you shouldn't have been able to stop Lucario's attack if you were someone who was clueless about Aura."

Ash weighed his options. There was… a lot... What could he explain, what would Riley believe?

He looked to the side where Alain and Iris were waiting with worried faces. Part of him felt so guilty. Like Brock, Misty, May, Max, and Dawn, they were going to sooner than later end up in some sort of crazy trouble because of him, because of his life.

"I became aware of Aura about a year and half ago," Ash said. "I was… at Rota Kingdom for their tournament."

"The Legend of Sir Aaron," Riley said.

Ash tried hard not to flinch. "I can't do what you can do, like forming barriers." Not without Sir Aaron's gloves. "And… I don't know much about Aura." Because the only one who could have taught him then died saving Ash. His heart constricted tight at the thought of Lucario, dying and fading, Aura spent.

"Why didn't you ask me?" Riley asked.

Ash stared up at him in horror, the words unable to form.

"You don't have to tell me," Riley said quickly, recognizing Ash's expression.

Ash closed his eyes. He didn't even like thinking about Rota, about the legend of the Chosen One, about how Aura, Aura Guardians were mostly likely his new reality, about his fear that one day he would be exactly like Sir Aaron, a legend, a myth, a martyr. He could accept running into legendaries everywhere he went, could accept time travel, and the fact that his desire to help people often ended in world saving scenarios. He could not accept the idea that the fate of the world rested on his existence.

He was just Ash. Just a boy from Pallet Town with a lofty dream to be a Pokemon Master.

He helped people because he wanted to. Not because some prophecy said so.

Pikachu pressed a comforting paw to Ash's cheek. "Pikapi," Pikachu said.  _Ash._

Ash placed a hand on Pikachu, grounding himself against his partner. "Why exactly are you here, Riley?" Ash asked quietly, trying not to the feel the weight of the world pressing down on his shoulders.

"Several months ago, shortly after Professor Caroline wrapped up her initial assessment, Celebi appeared," Riley said. "And she told me I need to get off my butt and teach you how to use your Aura."

"I guess if Celebi is involved, there's no more running," Ash said miserably.

Riley reached out to squeeze Ash's shoulder. "For what it's worth Ash, I am sorry. This kind of thing should be a choice. I ran into Cynthia and she told me what happened with Team Galactic. It's not something you should be forced into."

"Yet it's something that keeps happening," Ash said.

"Well… there's a reason why I secluded myself to Iron Island," Riley said.

Ash blinked. "Really?" Did Riley have the same eventful life as him?

"Hazard of being an Aura Guardian," Riley said. "I may not have been taking down evil organizations like Team Galactic at your age, but there's a fair share of legendaries who have visited."

"And I resisted for a long time about becoming an Aura Guardian. It took the Lake Guardians dropping me in Lucario Kingdom, throwing Lucario who was a Riolu at the time, and a box of Aura texts to get me to consider it," Riley said with a slight blush.

Ash smiled wryly. Well there was some comfort in that.

"The best defense is a good offense," Riley said. "What do you say about letting me teach out the finer points of Aura? I promise to be a better teacher than waiting for some legendaries to chuck a box of Aura texts at you."

"Pika-pi chu. Pikapi ka chuu," Pikachu said.  _Might be for the best. Ash hates reading._

" _Riley wasn't very receptive to reading either,"_  Lucario said.

Ash froze. "I'm pretty sure I heard Lucario say actual words," he said weakly.

Riley laughed. "Yes, we finally got that working. It turns out that all the legendaries who aren't psychic use Aura to speak to us humans. Not just legendaries either, any Pokemon can, but legendaries are usually the ones with the time and ability to learn to do so."

Like Shaymin, like Manaphy, like  _ **Arceus**_.

Ash groaned. "That makes so much sense now."

He sighed, looking back Alain and Iris. They both look like they were a hair trigger away from storming over.

"What should I tell them?" Ash asked. Alain… Alain would probably be okay with it, given everything so far. Iris might not be. They were… just too new to really know.

"Well if they're open to learning, they can learn with you," Riley said.

"W-what?" Ash said. He hadn't expected that answer.

"The boy-" "Alain." "-Alain, he's brimming with potential, enough that a small nudge will waken his ability," Riley said.

"The girl-" "Iris." "-Iris, not as much. It's much deeper for her, so she will take longer, but still a possibility."

"That would be nice," Ash said wistfully. He hoped they were willing to learn. It would be nice. He wouldn't feel so much like a freak if they were learning too.

"Then it's settled," Riley said. "I'll be traveling with you until I feel you can continue on your own. I assume you're doing a Gym Run here?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah."

"I won't stop you from doing that. So I'll teach you and your friends on the road," Riley said. He smiled. "Congratulations on your performance at League by the way. Very few people understand exactly how difficult it is to beat a legendary in one-on-one combat and it took two legendaries to stop you from winning Sinnoh's League."

True… but it certainly didn't feel that way. Ash gave him a weak smile. "Thank you."

"Ash! Your Pokemon Egg!" Iris called out.

Ash turned to see the Egg brightly flashing in Alain's arms.

"Go on," Riley said. "Go greet the newest member to your family. We can talk more later."

Right. Ash took a deep breath and focused. He had a new Pokemon to greet to the world. He could worry about the rest later.

-.-.-

"My what an active Pokemon, your newest family membering turned out to be," Riley said, amused.

"He's going to be a handful," Ash said with a weak chuckle. Just after hatching, Scraggy had attempted to headbutt everyone, including Ash, multiple times.

Lucario had scooped up Scraggy and was giving the newly hatched Pokemon tips. Whatever the subject was, it was riveting enough that the rest of Ash's Pokemon, Axew and Alain's Tepig were all listening.

"So who exactly are you?" Iris asked, looking at Riley.

Alain glared at Riley. He still didn't like this guy. Ash's reaction suggested there was nothing good about him. Next to him, Charmeleon let out a low growl.

"You're very protective," Riley said with good cheer.

Alain mentally sputtered. What was that supposed to mean?

"I think you're far too amused by all of this," Ash said. "This is Riley. Riley, this is Alain and his partner Charmeleon. One of the Tepigs is also his. And this is Iris. Axew is her Pokemon."

"Nice to meet you," Riley said. "Lucario and I met Ash in Sinnoh where he and his friends helped us with an issue."

"But why are you here?" Alain asked.

"Two reasons," Riley said. "Lucario and I are looking for the matching set to a special stone and to teach Ash Aura."

"Aura…?" Alain asked. What was that?

"Aura is the essence of every living creature. You could call it a lifeforce," Riley said. "Every human and Pokemon has Aura. Aura has many capabilities, including but not limiting to, the ability to sense other Auras, view surroundings, even through objects, highly sensitive empathy and projection of one's Aura."

"And Ash has this?" Iris asked, skeptical.

"Every living creature," Riley repeated. "Not only Ash, but you as well Iris. Alain and Charmeleon too. It just so happens that back in Sinnoh, I realized that Ash had the potential to take it a step further."

"A step further?" Alain asked. "You're not surprised by all of this, Ash?"

Ash smiled wryly. "I've been aware of this, though I couldn't tell you the technical terms."

"You can divide Aura Users into four categories," Riley said. "The first is Aura Capable. This is majority of people in the world. Their Aura is too weak to use or only capable of using under certain circumstances.

"The second is Locked Aura User. These people have ability to use Aura, they're just mostly unaware of what Aura is. They sometimes manifest the abilities of the next stage despite being unaware of Aura, but it's usually under specific cases.

"The third is Passive Aura User. These people use Aura's passive abilities regularly, even if they aren't aware of what Aura is.

"The last is Active Aura User. They have the ability to project their Aura on top of the passive abilities. These people are definitely aware of Aura because you need a deeper understanding of Aura to get to this stage."

Riley looked at the three of them. "We have perfect examples here. Iris, you're an example of Aura Capable. Alain, you're a Locked Aura user. Ash is a Passive Aura User and I'm an Active Aura User."

Alain blinked.  _ **What**_.

"Like I said, everyone in the world is capable of using Aura. Those who aren't there are usually reasons like due to age, but there are exceptions," Riley explained. "For example, it's been noted that Ghost Pokemon often have difficulties with Aura, but it's not a hard rule."

"And that's where I am," Iris said, tone still skeptical. "What did you mean under certain circumstances?"

"Life or death circumstances is usually the most cited example," Riley said.

He looked at Alain. "Locked Aura Users are usually found in strong Trainers. For example…" Riley leaned over to whisper something in Charmeleon's ear.

"What's my favorite color, Alain?" Riley asked.

Charmeleon gave Riley a puzzled look, but tugged on Alain's jacket. "Char charmeleon leon."  _Riley said his favorite color is purple._

"...Purple?" Alain asked. He thought that was what Charmeleon was saying.

"Correct," Riley said with a smile. "Your bond with Charmeleon is excellent."

_**What.**_  Alain felt his head spin. He had never heard of Aura before and sure, he had always gotten the general gist of Charmeleon's words before, but how was that Aura?

"Usually the phenomenon people witness between Trainers and the way it slowly becomes easier for them to understand their Pokemon is actually Aura at work. It usually evolves from a strong bond, of sharing experiences and time together that builds it. Strong Trainers will build that kind of rapport with their teams, so it's honestly not surprising to know people like Champions, the Elite Four, more experienced Gym Leaders are some of the most likely people to be found in this group," Riley said. He looked over at Ash. "Your friend Brock is another one who falls into this group."

Ash hummed. "Oh? That's interesting."

"If they manifest any of Aura abilities, it's usually limited to their team," Riley said. "High enough empathy to understand their Pokemon on almost a speaking level is the most common ability that manifest."

"It isn't being so familiar with body language and other personality quirks?" Alain asked, brain still trying to wrap itself around the concept.

"Some of it is," Riley said. "It's usually how humans who aren't Trainers that bond so closely with Pokemon do it."

"But why the distinction for Trainers?" Alain asked.

"Because Aura can be strengthened and trained," Riley said. "Trainers and Pokemon do it naturally thanks to our society setup. Pokemon battles aren't just two Pokemon fighting against each other, we wouldn't need Trainers if that was the case. No, Pokemon Battles are two-on-two battles, Pokemon and Trainer against Pokemon and Trainer. Every Pokemon Battle you have, strengthened your and your Pokemon's Aura. It's why some people say the mark of a good partnership is how in sync a Trainer and their Pokemon is together."

That was at least an argument Alain had heard before. Sometimes, especially those who weren't Battle Trainers in particular, would often ask what was the point of Pokemon Battles. Why fight for the sake of fighting? Why fight for the sake of getting "stronger"? They didn't really understand and Alain could never really explain his own personal feelings for it.

"There are more classical ways to train your Aura," Riley said. "But like I said, a natural growth can simply be found in a Pokemon Battle."

That was really interesting. Was that why so many people found joy in battling? Alain had said there was nothing wrong with the way Iris wanted to raise Axew, but the concept of 'little by little' had rubbed him the wrong way. Because like Ash had said, the best battles were the ones you and your Pokemon threw everything into it, reaching beyond your limits. But was that simply Aura at work?

"The difference between Passive Aura Users and Locked Aura Users is simply scope and range," Riley said. "They're not limited to just their Pokemon team for example, but instead can understand the feelings of every Pokemon they encounter. Majority of the Passive Aura Users, especially those unaware of Aura, awoken their ability by coming into contact with high concentration of Aura and have subconsciously continued to use it."

"Ash?" Alain asked, looking at him.

Ash shrugged helplessly. "I can understand all of our Pokemon? It's how I knew your Tepig didn't want to fight. Pikachu I understand the best and sometimes the others, like Oshawott speak too fast, but yeah…"

"Pikapi chuu pi," Pikachu said.  _You worry too much, Ash._

Charmeleon blinked, surprised. "Char-char meleon! Char leon."  _That's how he knew! Pikachu only said his name._

Alain didn't catch any of Charmeleon's intended meaning here.

Ash on the other hand laughed. "Yes, that's exactly how."

Charmeleon had a thoughtful look. "Charmeleon le?"  _Tell Alain I want spicy curry for dinner?_

Ash blinked. "Alain, Charmeleon wants spicy curry for dinner?"

Still reeling in shock, Alain could nodded. "Sure."

"That's so cool. Aura let's you understand Pokemon?" Iris said excitedly. "I'll be able to understand Axew?"

"Eventually," Riley said. "It takes a lot of time and practice. Words are a bit harder and a sign of how much Aura Ash actually has."

"And the last stage?" Alain asked.

"How familiar are you with Lucario and their moves?" Riley asked.

"Like Aura Sphere?" Alain asked. " _Oh._  Lucario are examples of what Aura looks like."

Riley nodded. "Yes. As a species, Lucario and Riolu are capable of manifesting Aura and using all of its passive abilities. Humans are rarely able to project their Aura like Lucario and Riolu, but -" he lifted his hand, spinning a small Aura Sphere in his palm, "- there are a few that can."

Alain tried to pull it all together in his head. Aura. That wasn't so completely unbelievable. They lived in a world with psychics being just the tip of the iceberg of humans outside of norms. Mega Evolution had been nothing but a myth until Professor Sycamore started putting together stories. (Even then they still didn't know what caused Mega Evolution to resurface after fading away into history centuries ago). There were so many things unknown in this world to brush it off as a hoax. It was a possibility.

If nothing else, Lucario and Riolu were physical proof of Aura. Alain had looked into once, wondering what had made a Lucario special to be the first Mega Evolution. Lucario's abilities were well documented, but Alain couldn't remember why Lucario's abilities were called Aura or where the name for Aura had come from.

He had seen enough to know it was at least plausible.

Where he was stumbling on was where Ash had fitted into this equation.

Ash had Aura… but what did it mean? And Ash had been aware since before Sinnoh so it wasn't something new, something Alain had unknowingly changed.

Was that the explanation for Ash's bond with Greninja? Aura?

His head hurt and Alain didn't know enough to put it together, and never would. It was going to be a mystery for the rest of eternity, unless by some chance, Alain hadn't changed enough that Ash would still met the same Froakie, still did whatever Ash had done to make that strange bond with Greninja and...

"Alain?" Ash asked quietly.

Alain blinked. He smiled crookedly. "So you have Aura."

Ash gave him a curious look. "Yeah."  _"Is that okay?"_  went unasked.

Alain maveled at the fact that they had become close enough friends, that Alain was understanding what Ash wasn't asking.

"Yes," Alain said firmly. Ash was Ash. Aura was just another piece of the puzzle that made up Ash.

Wait. If Aura was highly sensitive empathy, was Alain understanding Ash's unasked question because of Aura? How did that work?

His head hurt.

Ash smiled. "Thanks," he said.

The commotion broke their conversation and everyone turned to see their Pokemon fleeing out the forest. Lucario had his hands full with Scraggy; the others hot on his tail.

"Lucario?" Riley asked.

" _Hoard of Galvantula! Scraggy is hurt!"_

Then crashing out behind the Pokemon came a swarm of Galvantula.

Alain jumped to his feet; Charmeleon already rushing forward. "Charmeleon, Flame Burst!"

Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder, high into the air.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Fire and electricity crashed into the swarm of Galvantula. They turned back around and fled back into the forest.

"Is everyone alright?" Iris asked, rushing forward.

Lucario held out Scraggy.  _"He has paralysis."_

"I can fix that," Iris said. She turned, stopped and turned back to look at Lucario. "Wait, did you just speak human words?"

Oh. So Alain wasn't imagining it either.

"Scraggy are you okay?" Ash asked worried.

"Ask later, Iris," Riley said. "If you would please go fetch what you need. Scraggy will need it."

"Right, right. Come on Axew!" Iris said.

Alain pulled out his first aid kit. "If she can't find what's she looking for, we still have a Full Restore we can use. I'll start with your Cheri Berries too; see if they can help."

Ash nodded, looking relieved that they had a backup plan. "Right. We'll wait and see I guess."

Yeah. Alain nodded.

Scraggy first. Wonder about Aura later.

-.-.-

Ash tucked a blanket around Scraggy. It looked like the paralysis has finally worn off and Scraggy was finally resting peaceful. Iris' medicine had worked wonders.

"He's going to be a handful," Alain said, kneeling down on the other side of Scraggy.

"Yeah," Ash said. "That's okay."

He glanced over to Riley and Iris and felt a wave of trepidation rise up in the back of this throat. His shoulders hunched. There would be no more running from this it seemed.

"Ash?" Alain asked.

Ash smiled.

Just breathe, smile, and let it go.

Keep moving forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Pikachu's Crazy Life: 8 vs Alain: 2
> 
> Aura explains so much of Ash's idiosyncrasies that I was sad that we don't ever see it anymore. So here are a bunch of my headcanons for Aura. lol
> 
> Also a shoutout to LadyTeldra for leaving me such a beautiful review. It gave me the motivation to post the chapter.
> 
> On a related note, please stop asking if I abandoned this fic or when I'm going to update next. I've tried to post this chapter three times and every time I had the energy to do so, I got a review asking for the next chapter and that just... saps the energy. This fic is still be worked on, and its update schedule is to the whims of the plunny and my energy levels okay?
> 
> Please leave a review on your way out.


	10. Chapter 10

Quiet. Like a reflective pool, water so smooth and clear like a mirror. Just the tiniest drop, ripples spreading outward, causing waves. Alain took a deep breath and held, the shimmering awareness of Aura that tiny bright light.

Meditation, Riley had explained, was just one of the many steps one could do to strength their Aura.

_“Spiritual and physical training,” Riley had said. “Strengthen your mind, strengthen your body and by extension strengthen your Aura. Honestly, it’s like practicing martial arts, same building blocks.”_

_“We’ll start with meditation for this morning. I’ll give you a little boost with my Aura to jumpstart yours,” Riley said, hands glowing blue. “Let’s see how far you three get.”_

So here was Alain meditating as Riley and Lucario were cooking breakfast.

He hadn’t seen the point until Riley had placed his hand on Alain’s back and suddenly everything had exploded… no, more like a sense of an all encompassing awareness. The world had turned vivid, an ever expanding sea of green, the stretch of the blue sky, patches of gray and brown the solidness of the ground. The warmth of sun, falling upon him like a fluffy thick blanket, the whistle of wind through the leaves.

All of this? He could feel all of this?

Alain held tight to that feeling, that pulse of Aura and sharpened his senses. The coo of Pidove echoed. It was just out of reach but… a flock of...Cottonee? Maybe. He just reached out a little bit -

A heavy weight landed on his head.

Alain opened his eyes, swaying and adjusting his balance. “What was that?” he asked as the weight hadn’t moved from his head. It wasn’t Riley or Lucario either, both still near the fire, cooking.

Next to him, Ash cracked open one eye. “You’ve got a Swablu on your head.”

“What,” Alain said, tilting his head, trying to catch a glimpse.

“He’s right,” Iris said, breaking her form and standing up. “You have a Swablu on your head.”

“Looks like it’s asleep,” Ash said, opening both eyes.

Swablu let out a soft snore.

“Definitely asleep,” Ash said.

“Why is there a Swablu on my head?” Alain asked in disbelief. It wasn’t budging, no matter how gently Alain moved his head to displace the cotton bird.

Ash reached over and gently picked up Swablu. Alain let out a small hiss as he felt his hair pulled.

“Nope,” Ash said, placing Swablu back down. “Its holding onto your hair pretty tight. Probably best to just let it sleep.”

“What am I supposed to do with a Swablu on my head?” Alain asked.

“Breakfast is ready,” Riley said, calling out to them. “You can stop- Alain you have a Swablu on your head.”

Alain groaned. “I know.”

Guess there was nothing to do but to let it sleep for now.

-.-.-

Swablu let out a small yawn, and flex her wings.

“Looks like Swablu is waking up. Pikachu?”

“It’s looking pretty crowded on your head, Alain.”

“Don’t even start Iris. Axew rides in your hair. No, Charmeleon, you can’t climb up on my shoulder either.”

Swablu opened her eyes to sound of voices. Human voices.

_‘Are you okay?’_

Swablu blinked. Was… that a Pikachu? What as a Pikachu doing here?

_‘I’m from Kanto. I’m visiting Unova with my Trainer,’_ Pikachu said, guessing her question. _‘You’ve been asleep all morning. Quite soundly, no one could wake you.’_

That was when Swablu took notice to her surroundings. She blanched that it had taken her so long to do so. That kind of carelessness lead to being hurt or injured.

They were traveling, the perch she had landed on was… a human head it seemed. She misjudged where she was landing, had previously been aiming for a shady spot in the thick foliage. (Admittedly, it was rather comfortable.) The Pikachu was perched the human’s shoulder, looking at her concerned.

Swablu let out another yawn. _‘We were flying when a storm hit and blew us all the way to Nacrene City. And, then-’_ she let out another yawn _‘-not enough sleep. I don’t know where everyone went.’_

Her eyes felt heavy. Swablu shook her head, trying to get awake. She should get back.

_‘We haven’t seen a flock of Swablu,’_ Pikachu said, concerned. _‘And we’re currently traveling away from Nacrene City. Do need us to stop?’_

That jolted Swablu more awake. Looking even closer, she didn’t recognize the part of the forest they were now traveling. _‘W-Where are we?’_

_‘Just about to enter Pinwheel Forest,’_ Pikachu said.

Dismay overwhelmed her. Pinwheel Forest? Swablu had never been out this far before, didn’t even know how to navigate back. Where was the rest of her flock? Even if the humans stopped, could she really find her way back?

_‘It’s okay,’_ Pikachu reassured her. _‘It’ll have to wait until we reach a Pokemon Center, but we could send you back to a general area that you’re from. You just have to tell us where that is. But in the meantime, you’re welcome to travel with us.’_

A Pokemon Center? Send back? Swablu flustered more, distressed.

“Is everything alright?” the oldest human with a blue hat asked.

_‘She’s pretty far from home it sounds like,’_ Pikachu said.

To Swablu’s surprise, the blue hat man nodded. “Do you need help getting back?” he asked.

“If she doesn’t want to be captured and released, I’m sure Swellow or Staraptor will be willing to fly her back,” the boy with the red and white hat said.

_‘Wait… are they understanding you?’_ Swablu asked. That was way more accurate than she imagined.

_‘Riley, the one with the blue hat, and my Trainer, Ash can,’_ Pikachu said. _‘Alain, the boy you’re perch on, and the girl Iris can’t.’_

That was… kind neat. Swablu let out another yawn.

_‘You’re okay with traveling with us then?’_ Pikachu asked.

Swablu nodded sleepily. If they understood Pikachu, it would be easier right? She drifted back into dreamland.

-.-.-

“Looks like she’s asleep again,” Riley said.

Alain let out a soft sigh as Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and back onto Ash’s. “I supposed as long as she’s comfortable.”

Iris stretched, “I don’t blame her. Being inside the forest is really calming.” Axew waved his hand, nodding in agreement.

“I wonder what kind of Pokemon we’ll see here,” Ash said.

As soon as he said that, a Pokemon came out of nowhere, swing and knocking Pikachu off Ash’s shoulder.

“Pikachu!”

Pikachu landed on the ground, letting loose a a Thunderbolt. The Pokemon dodged, letting the Thunderbolt hit Ash instead.

“Ash!” Alain said.

A flurry of Razor Leaves was let loose. Pikachu flipped backwards, neatly dodging each one. So caught up in dodging, Pikachu missed the oncoming String Shot, the Pokemon pulling itself along, slamming straight into Pikachu’s face. Sharp fangs biting straight into his head.

“It’s a Sewaddle,” Iris said.

“And that move was Bug Bite,” Riley said. “Lucario!”

Lucario jumped in with a small Aura Sphere already readied. Pikachu tossed off Sewaddle, and Lucario fired.

Sewaddle twisted, firing another String Shot and swinging away from Aura Sphere. Charmeleon let loose a Flame Burst, the fire illuminating the forest, casting an orange glow.

Sewaddle shot another String Shot upward and unleashed another Razor Leaf at Charmeleon. Charmeleon swatted the Razor Leaf away, but Sewaddle was already swinging, using the momentum to knock Charmeleon into Lucario, sending them crashing to the ground and wrapping them up in String Shot.

“I’m liking Sewaddle even more,” Ash said with a grin.

Pikachu cut free Lucario and Charmeleon with a swift Iron Tail.

“Why is it attacking us?” Iris asked.

“Maybe it likes battling?” Alain said.

“It certainly is a fiesty one,” Riley said.

Sewaddle took off, swinging away on the branches with its String Shot.

“Hey wait!” Ash said, running after Sewaddle.

“Ash! We’ll go off the path!” Iris shouted.

“We better go after him,” Alain said, “before we lose him completely.”

“Agreed,” Riley said. “Let’s go.”

-.-.-

“So… we’re lost,” Alain said, dryly.

“I’m sorry,” Ash said, shoulders slumping. Pikachu patted him on the head.

Riley closed his eyes. “I see why they call this forest a natural maze.”

“A higher vantage point may help,” Iris said, dropping down from the tree she had climbed up. “There’s a big tree in that direction.” Axew pointed in the direction they should travel.

“I agree,” Riley said. “It’s a nice natural concentration of Aura in that area.”

Swablu woke again, stretching her wings.

“Oh you’re awake again,” Alain said, tilting his head up. He still couldn’t see her, only catching a glimpse of her white fluffy wings.

Swablu yawned again. “Swablu blu.” _Should I move?_

Alain looked helplessly at Ash.

“She asked if she should move,” Ash said.

“Oh, I mean, if you’re comfortable and don’t mind me moving, you can stay on my head, until dinner,” Alain said. “I’m a little surprised you slept through Sewaddle’s battle against us.”

“Swaswa blu?” _You fought a Sewaddle?_

“The last ten minutes have been… interesting,” Alain said. Charmeleon let out small puff of flames, pouting.

_“That’s one way to put it,”_ Lucario said.

-.-.-

“Whoa,” Ash said, staring up.

“Chaa,” Pikachu said in agreement.

Towering above them, the tree reached through towards the sky, breaking through the canopy and beyond what they could see. Its trunk was huge, wider than a house; roots spreading out, weaving in and out of the ground.

“It’s so big,” Alain said. He had never seen anything a tree this big before. It looked like it was even taller than Prism Tower.

“What a grand tree,” Iris said.

Riley placed a hand on the nearest root. “It’s very old,” he said.

Lucario did the same. _“It’s the natural source of Aura too.”_

“I’ll go take a look!” Iris said, racing up the roots.

“Wait for me!” Ash said.

Alain turned to look at Riley, hesitating.

Riley made a shooing motion with his hand. “You might as well go with them. I’ll stay down here with Charmeleon and Lucario.”

Charmeleon promptly returned himself.

“With Lucario then,” Riley said, amused. “Just be careful climbing up.”

Alain grinned, following Iris and Ash up the tree.

“Look at that view,” Alain said, when he finally caught up to them. The lush green trees expanded as far as the eyes could see. A gentle breeze blew, and Alain felt a twinge of nostalgia. It would be a while longer, before Charmeleon evolve into Charizard and they could go flying.

“This forest is huge,” Ash agreed.

“We might need to go a little higher,” Iris said.

The three of them looked up.

“What’s that?” Alain asked.

Hanging above them was bundle of green cloth. It certainly didn’t look like anything natural in the forest.

“Is everything alright?” Riley shouted from below.

“There’s something weird,” Ash said.

The green bundle dropped, opening up to reveal a man with brown hair and green and red clothes. His cloak fluttered, as he smiled at them.

“What!” Iris shouted.

“Shh,” the man said, as he landed on the branch next to them. “You don’t want the Pokemon of the forest to get startled, do you?”

The rustle of leaves and out popped up Lucario aiming for straight for the man.

“AHHH!!” the man shouted, throwing his hands up to protect his face.

“Wait Lucario!” Ash’s hand snapped out, catching Lucario’s fist.

Lucario glared at the man, opening his paw to grab and pull Ash further back and away from the strange man. Ash stumbled, keeping mindful of edge of the wide branch they were all standing on.

“That’s some impressive reflexes,” the man said.

Lucario let out a growl, teeth bared and black appendages raised.

“Easy,” the man said. “I mean no harm.”

“Who are you?” Alain asked wary. He didn’t have a high tolerance for strange men popping out of nowhere.

“I’m Burgh,” he said, striking a pose. “I’ve been living in nature like a forest Pokemon! Hm, I wonder if you’ll understand it even if I explain it to you.” He twisted, striking yet another pose. “My pure heart, I mean.”

“Pure heart?” Iris asked, looking at Ash and Alain.

Ash looked at Alain who could only shrug. What did a pure heart have to do with anything?

“See I paint pictures and design clothes. One could say I’m an ingenious artist,” Burgh said. He slumped, all energy draining from him.

“I’ve reached a dead end during my production process. I thought that, by living like a forest Pokemon, I could gain some kind of inspiration.”

“But what does a pure heart have to do with that,” Alain asked.

Burgh, ignoring their bewildered looks, flipped his hair and reached out to the sky. “You need a stainless, pure heart for art.”

Alain didn’t wince. He absolutely didn’t wince. Stainless, pure heart? He slammed down on the hysteria that he certainly didn’t count there.

“By the way, what are you guys doing in a place like this?” Burgh asked.

“We’re lost,” Ash said. “We’re heading to Castelia City to challenge the gym.”

“Ah! Well even if you were to go now, you wouldn’t be able to challenge the gym,” Burgh said.

“Why not?” Ash asked.

“Because I’m also the Gym Leader of Castelia City’s gym!” Burgh said, striking another pose.

_**What.**_ Alain felt a headache pulse. He supposed there were stranger Gym Leaders. The Kalos ones weren’t without their personality quirks. It shouldn’t be too surprising

“I can guide you to the exit, but what do you say about staying a little while to enjoy life as a forest Pokemon?” Burgh asked.

The leaves of the tree rustled once more and this time Riley appeared out of the foliage. “What’s wrong? What happened?” he asked.

“Oh! One more person,” Burgh said. “Why don’t we climb down and we can talk about this more?

-.-.-

“Ah, I see,” Riley said. They had gathered back on the ground. There was a round of explanation and introductions for everyone. “I apologize for setting Lucario on you.”

“Not at all,” Burgh said. “It’s only natural for you to be protective of your kids.”

Riley smiled.

“So do you three want to stay for the night?” Riley asked, looking over to the kids.

“It’ll be a great experience,” Ash said with good cheer. “And I certainly can’t challenge the Gym if Burgh is here.”

Then out from nowhere, Sewaddle swung, knocking Ash in the face.

“Ash!” Alain and Iris exclaimed.

“Ah, the Sewaddle from before,” Riley said.

“Oh? You know him?” Burgh asked.

“We got lost when I tried to catch him,” Ash said.

Sewaddle jumped, landing on Ash’s head and jumped again, this time to Burgh’s shoulder to reach for a nearby leaf.

“So that’s how it was,” Burgh said. “This fellow might be a little headstrong, but also cute.”

“Oh, he is yours?” Alain asked.

“No. He’s wild,” Burgh said. “That’s why there are many difference discoveries when I spend time with it. It’s important to know a Pokemon well before you get them. I’ll be happy to have you four along for the day.”

“I’ll set up the camp,” Riley said. He glanced up at the tree. “And I think I want to spend more time here. But you three go ahead. As Ash said, it’ll be a good experience.”

“All right then, before we start moving with Sewaddle, it’s greeting time.”

“Greeting?” Iris asked.

“Sewaddle, of course,” Burgh said. “You see these two bumps on his head are also said to be sensory organs and detect certain things upon contact. That’s why touching each other like this is a way of greeting among friends.”

He bent down to the ground and lightly touched his forehead to Sewaddle. A faint glimmer of light sparkled before Burgh pulled away.

Pikachu hopped off of Ash’s shoulder. “Pikachu!” _Hello!_ He touched his forehead to Sewaddle.

“Pikachu certainly has the right idea,” Burgh said.

“Me next!” Iris said.

She bent down and touched her forehead to Sewaddle’s. Axew followed suit.

“I’m not really sure how do to this,” Alain said. The type of angle would be difficult considering Swablu was still firmly sleeping on his head.

Burgh snapped his fingers. “I’ve been meaning to ask. Why is your Swablu on your head?”

“She’s not mine,” Alain said with a light laugh. “But she apparently likes sleeping on my head.”

Swablu sleepily blinked awake. “Swablu.” _There’s a Sewaddle_.

Charmeleon held up Sewaddle. “Char leon!” _Try now!_

“Oh, that works,” Alain said, bending down slightly. “Hello Sewaddle.” He touched his forehead to Sewaddle.

“My turn!” Ash said.

Charmeleon turned around to face Ash. Sewaddle had other plans, and headbutted Ash instead.

“Ash!” Alain said.

“Ow,” Ash moaned.

“So silly,” Iris said with a laugh.

“Well, butting heads is like a greeting as well, so don’t worry about it,” Burgh said.

“Sewaddle,” Ash said with a pout.

Sewaddle turned his head away and started walking away.

Ash let out a sigh.

“There, there,” Iris said. “I’m sure Sewaddle will come around.”

“It’s time to go,” Burgh said. “Let’s follow Sewaddle.”

-.-.-

Ash let his senses sink into his surroundings. He had forgotten how open everything was with his budding Aura. After Rota, after losing Lucario, everything had been too raw. He didn’t know what exactly he did, but he knew he had closed himself off, shoving it as far back as he could. It was like he had placed a layer of cotton over his eyes and ears, still there but so muffled, he barely noticed it.

Coming back into contact with Aura, with Riley and Lucario, had nudged all of his Aura fully awake again and Ash had found himself reaching and feeling. The world was a bright and vivid place, and it was peaceful to sink into nature.

Today had been amazing. They had followed Sewaddle around all day, resting when Sewaddle stopped to nap, harvesting berries when Sewaddle stopped to eat. It was all very simple, but in its own way, rewarding.

(And perhaps he shouldn’t have taken the hit from Woobat’s gust. Pikachu hadn’t stopped lecturing about it and Alain looked like he was a hair away from wrapping Ash up in bandages. But it wasn’t like Ash could let Sewaddle get hurt! That kind of injury was dangerous for wild Pokemon!)

“What a great view,” Riley said.

They had climbed back up into the tree, high enough to see the entire forest. The night sky was gleaming with stars, twinkling their secret song that Ash could just barely hear.

“I’ve never slept in a tree before,” Ash said.

The branches of this tree were wide enough that they could all fit up in here. Lucario was one branch up, already lightly dozing. Sewaddle hung from the foliage above, swaying gently in the wind as he stared out at the moon. Charmeleon had grudgingly gone back into his ball. Combining the tree with his flame tail had been a bad idea.

The rest of them had their sleepings bags out. Swablu had finally moved from Alain’s head, choosing to sit on Alain’s sleeping bag instead.

“What kind of discoveries have you guys made since you set off?” Burgh asked.

“Discoveries?” Alain asked.

“You know, in my childhood, the beauty of Bug Pokemon robbed my pure heart… and although I’ve drawn many pictures and had many battles since then, there are still new discoveries. The Pokemon world is really full of mysteries,” Burgh said.

“I agree,” Riley said.

Ash smiled fondly. Yeah. There was still so much to see, so much to learn.

“Ah, a shooting star!” Iris pointed out.

“Something great is going to happen yeah?” Ash said, looking at Alain.

Alain smiled. “Yeah.”

“Sewaddle, want to sleep with us?” Ash asked, looking up.

Sewaddle turned away with a hmph.

Oh boy, Sewaddle really didn’t like him, did he. “I see. Good night, then,” Ash said.

Riley turned off their lantern and everyone got comfortable.

Just as Ash was ready to fall asleep, he heard Sewaddle approach. “Hm? What’s wrong?” Ash asked. Pikachu blinked questioningly.

Sewaddle simply crawled into Ash’s sleeping bag.

“Oh? It’s unusual for Sewaddle to do such a thing,” Burgh said.

Ash grinned. Maybe Sewaddle didn’t hate him that much. “All right. Let’s sleep, Pikachu, Sewaddle.”

Tomorrow was going to be great.

-.-.-

Before Pikachu’s shouts had alerted him, Ash was already beginning to waken to the feeling that something had gone horribly wrong.

_‘Ash! A Patrat took Sewaddle!’_ Pikachu shouted.

“What’s wrong?” Alain asked, rubbing his eyes. Swablu flopped over, still sleeping.

“I’m coming Sewaddle!” Ash shouted. He scrambled for his shoes and jumped down the tree.

“Ash!” Riley said.

“At least wait for us!” Iris shouted.

They followed after Ash, rushing to find Sewaddle.

-.-.-

Riley was all too aware of the ups and downs of the life of an Aura Guardian. Part of the reason why he had resisted for so long was because he knew how tragic an Aura Guardian’s life was. Longevity was not synonymous to Aura Guardian, not in this day and age. He watched his father burn out at a young age and didn’t want to follow in his footsteps.

There was danger lurking around every corner. Legendaries popping over for tea was far more common than one thought and you were lucky if it was only for tea and not some… world saving purpose.

He had been so angry as a child, rebelling against every step of his destiny, his heritage. (And he could admit in the back of his head that he was still upset that the Lake Trio had all but forced him into it.) So willing to ignore the the helpless cries of the world. To deafen his ears, close his eyes and pretend that everything was all right.

(If not you, then who?)

He learned his lesson. Finally sat down and _listened_.

Still, there was some part of him that let out an angry howl over the fact that Ash was being forced into the role of Aura Guardian, at even a far younger age than Riley. He was here to teach Ash before a legendary forced the issue or worst, reality delivered the harshest of lessons.

(Some days he could forget what happened in Eterna Forest.)

Teaching Ash was the least he could do, especially after the help he had offered. He wouldn’t have been able to stop Team Galactic’s plan on Iron Island without Ash and his friends’ help.

Plus, honestly? Ash’s energy was refreshing. He felt with all of his heart, passionate and loving. There was a simply joy in everything Ash did.

What Riley hadn’t expected was the sheer recklessness Ash had.

“Sewaddle!” Ash shouted.

Like jumping off a cliff into a raging river with a waterfall at the end.

“Ash!” Alain shouted.

Riley felt his heart dropped, panic bubbling. Ash was being swept further downstream. The waterfall was right there! They wouldn’t make it in time!

“Leavanny, String Shot!” Burgh shouted.

Thank Arceus for Burgh.

Ash came flying out of the water, hoisting out him out of the water like a Margikarp by Leavanny.

_‘Ash!’_ Pikachu rushed forward, circling around his Trainer.

“Are you alright?!” Alain asked, equally panicking.

Riley didn’t blame them one bit.

“I’m fine,” Ash said with a smile. He looked down at Sewaddle. “Are you alright, Sewaddle?”

Sewaddle nodded.

“Thank goddess,” Ash said.

That was it. The very next lesson Riley was going to teach Ash was _**self-preservation**_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *chants* swablu hat swablu hat swablu hat  
> Just look up the swablu pokedex entry lolol
> 
> Poor Riley. And huzzah, this episode was such a trip watch/write lol. 
> 
> Happy Holidays  
> Please leave a review on your way out :D


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's March 9th!

Eyes closed, Lucario let himself fall into a meditative state, feeling the world around him. His paw snapped out and he caught Scraggy’s headbutt.

_“Nice try,”_ Lucario said, opening his eyes to look at the younger Pokemon. _“But you must be faster.”_

Lucario ducked as Sewaddle fired a String Shot and twisted into a handstand to dodge Sandile’s Bite attack.

_“I’m not going to be able to meditate around you three, am I?”_ Lucario said.

_‘Sandile said you were a strong opponent,’_ Sewaddle said. Despite being Ash’s newest Pokemon, he fit right in with the others, joining in with enthusiasm.

Lucario pushed off the ground, jumping into the air to dodge the Water Gun before leaning back to avoid Sandile’s Stone Edge.

_‘How else are we gonna get stronger?’_ Sandile said. _‘I think I’m going to evolve soon, and I should face stronger opponents!’_

_“There are two other strong Pokemon,”_ Lucario said, pointing to where Pikachu and Charmeleon were sitting.

Sandile responded by sending a Stone Edge towards Pikachu and Charmeleon. Both neatly dodged and Pikachu let loose a Thunderbolt.

_‘Ouch!’_ Sandile yelped. _‘How do you keep shocking me?!’_

_“You’re a Ground Type,”_ Lucario said with a touch of disbelief.

_‘Tell that to Pikachu!’_

Pikachu smiled smugly.

_“You can shock Ground Types?”_ Lucario said. Then he caught Axew building up a Dragon Rage out of corner of his eye. _“Wait Axew. You’re not properly containing!”_

An explosion went off, engulfing the entire area.

“Ahhh,” Iris said, several feet away and observing. “Another failed attempt.” Her shoulders slumped as she groaned.

“Should we concerned?” Alain asked.

“No, Lucario has it under control,” Riley said.

The dust settled to reveal a shimmering blue dome. Lucario had hasty thrown up an Aura shield to protect them all.

_‘Try hold real tight, let you’re making a ball in your paws before letting it loose,’_ Charmeleon instructed Axew.

_‘But it goes all funny,’_ Axew complained.

_‘Then try it with a smaller amount.’_

“It’s nice that they’re all getting along together,” Ash said as Snivy attempted to hit Lucario with a vine whip.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen seen a group of Pokemon so enthusiastically throw themselves into a battle of against Lucario like that,” Riley said amused. “But it’s good training.”

_‘You’re all so strange,’_ Swablu said with a small yawn from Alain’s lap.

“Do you want to join?” Alain asked.

Swablu yawned again, fluffing her wings and snuggled to get even more comfortable. ‘ _Maybe later,’_ she said.

“Perhaps Nurse Joy should have taken a look at you,” Alain said. “Are you normally this tired?”

Swablu didn’t answer him, drifting back to sleep.

“PIKACHUUUUU!!!!”

Everyone looked up to see Pikachu had leapt high into the air, electricity crackling around his tail, spinning into ball. He flipped, sending the ball of electricity to the ground. It shocked everyone, knocking them down and declaring Pikachu the winner of their impromptu melee battle.

“That… was Electro Ball,” Alain said.

“Good job Pikachu!” Ash cheered. “You finally got it working!”

_‘Ow,’_ Tepig said.

Lucario let out a hiss. _“That really hurt,”_ he said.

_‘That’s what I’m talking about!’_ Sandile said.

Pidove shook herself, trying to shake off the paralysis. _‘At least you two have resistance!’_

_‘You’re at least standing, Pidove. Oshawott is down for the count,’_ Snivy said, poking the unconscious Water-Type.

_‘Again!’_ Scraggy said.

_‘Not again!’_ Axew said.

_‘This will be good practice!’_ Sewaddle said.

Charmeleon let out a burst of flame. _‘Let’s go again! I know you can shock harder!’_

Pikachu cheekily grinned.

And let loose another Electro Ball.

-.-.-

Ash couldn’t help but fondness swell in his heart. It was always nice to see his Pokemon working together. Sure, aside from Pikachu, none of them could land a good hit on Lucario, but that could come later. They would get stronger.

It was these days he liked best. The excitement filled days of travel on the road. Even now, as they continued onward to Castelia City, his Pokemon’s enthusiasm towards training hadn’t wavered.

Scraggy continue charged straight ahead at Lucario who neatly dodged the attacked. Charmeleon was following Scraggy’s example and they were coming up with some neat combinations. Pikachu, Tepig, Oshawott and Snivy were playing a complicated game of tag, darting on and off the pathway but never too far that Ash couldn't sense them. Sandile dodging Axew’s attacks while Pidove manage to coax Swablu off of Alain’s head for for some aerial battles.

There was a flash and Alain's Tepig materialized and joined Sandile and Axew.

“Certainly enthusiastic,” Riley said fondly.

That was one of the things Ash liked about Riley. The older man was frankly nonjudgmental about Ash's training methods. Ash was used to having adults look down at him or trying to critique or scold or _something_. Ash understood it, to a degree. But sometimes his instincts blared at him and Ash found himself moving, against logic and reasoning because he knew this was the better way.

(He had known logically that going after Sewaddle meant going off the path and potentially getting lost, but the pull to after him was far too strong.)

Riley merely squeezed his shoulder in understanding, and Ash took it as a sign that it was probably Aura related. The self-preservation lessons were a tad annoying though. But instead of “don't do it” Riley had put it more like, “I know you can't ignore it, but at least try to stop to consider other options first.” Which… fair. Because in hindsight, Pidove could have scooped up Sewaddle with no problem.

So maybe Ash had to work on that. Alain and Iris got worried, so had all of his other friends. _Pikachu_ got worried. Riley may have a point.

But yeah, Riley was understanding about Ash's crazy little quirks, but more importantly understood why.

(Iris didn't, and would eventually learn to shrug it off, if pattern of his other friends held. Oddly, Alain, in his unusual way, accepted as norm even if he didn't understand the exact reason why Ash did it.)

Aura instincts. Ash hadn't realized how much of an issue they would be. But it certainly explained why Ash could get hopelessly lost when it was often a straight shot to his next destination.

_“Basically, you're sensing **something** , whether it is a Pokemon that will fit into your team, like Sewaddle, or perhaps a legendary in distress, and are subconsciously following it,” Riley said. “The problem that comes into play is often that isn't not the best or safest route available. Like with Sewaddle, sending out Pidove to catch Sewaddle would have been far safer. You have two options, train to the point where you can handle anything your way or learn to rein in your instincts long enough to stop, evaluate and then react.” _

_“And I take you prefer the latter?” Ash said._

_“You can’t prepare for everything so slowing down is a good trade off in my opinion,” Riley said. His expression turned serious. “Ash what would you have done if Burgh hadn't been there to rescue you and Sewaddle. Neither I, nor Iris nor Alain had any Pokemon that could have caught you. And Burgh didn't mention that he had Leavanny.”_

_Ash opened his mouth and then paused. What… what would he had done? Pidove couldn't have carried them both. Snivy stood a chance with Vine Whip. But… the rocks were wet. There wasn't a guarantee that Snivy could latch onto something._

_“Oh.”_

_“Yes, oh,” Riley said with a tight smile._

So Riley had a point and Ash couldn't always rely on his stupid luck to bail him out.

His heart squeezed as Pikachu climbed up Lucario’s head, chattering something.

Rota. Sir Aaron. Lucario.

Ash had been dreaming about Rota for days now. That wasn't anything new. Sometimes he dreamed about Latios. Zekrom’s electricity had set off dreams about Shamouti and the crackle of Zapdos flying too close.

No, the only oddity was how frequent Rota had been the star of his dreams of late.

Perhaps it had been a sign, of Riley and Lucario’s arrival.

(Even now, Ash couldn't help but wonder Riley's connection to Sir Aaron. Even now, looking at Riley’s Lucario hurted too much.)

He had to learn how to deal.

It wasn't Riley's fault that Ash couldn't deal.

He let out a soft sigh, wondering what laid beyond the curve the road. He felt… something. Like a pressure just building behind a dam, ready to burst. Life was unpredictable enough that Ash learned not to trust in patterns (even if those patterns often held). But… if he tilted his worldview just a little to the left, he knew something was brewing on the horizon.

A twinge of guilt gnawed on his heart. He should warn them, or at least mention that the hypothetical (actually very real) possibility… and yet the words laid trapped in his mouth.

The secret would lie for now. But sooner or later, they would go stumbling head first into danger. And maybe… maybe… Riley knew the legends. About the Chosen One.

Ash felt himself mentally shrink. He didn’t want to change in anyone’s eyes, didn’t want to be held to the pestedal of Chosen One. It was fine, if all Riley currently thought that Ash was made to be an Aura Guardian. It was still less pressuring than the Chosen One.

Stop. Evaluate. Then react.

He shouldn’t just let it go. It would be better if they were at least aware… right?

_‘Ash,’_ Pikachu climbed up to his shoulder, pressing close.

“I’m fine, Pikachu,” Ash said. It wasn’t surprising that Pikachu knew what he was feeling. He smiled. “How is training coming along?”

_‘Pretty good. Sandile looks like he’s going to evolve soon. He’s pretty sure about it. Oshawott is showing signs of learning Aqua Jet. Axew is still having trouble with Dragon Rage. The rest are doing fine,’_ Pikachu said.

He gave his Trainer a look before letting loose a small charge, shocking Ash.

Ash let out a yelp of pain.

“Mou, Pikachu,” Ash grumbled.

Pikachu whacked Ash on the back of his head with his tail, giving Ash the same pointed look.

“Right, right,” Ash said.

A bright white glow cut off his thoughts and Ash turned around just in time to see Sandile evolve into Krokorok.

Krokorok let out a roar, pumping his clawed fist. _‘I told you I ready to evolve!’_

Ash smiled. “Good job Krokorok!” His Pokemon were so amazing.

-.-.-

“So that’s Skyarrow Bridge,” Iris said. The lights along the bridge were lit, reflecting off the water, like fireflies glowing in the night.

They were camp near the water’s edge, overlooking Skyarrow Bridge.

“It’s very impressive,” Riley agreed.

“And tomorrow we’ll cross it and reach Castelia City,” Ash said excitedly. “And then it’s off to challenge Burgh for my third gym badge!”

“Let’s get in some training before bed,” Riley said. “How are you handling it, Ash?”

Ash held out his hand, it glowed faintly before the Aura crumbled away. “That’s about as far as I can hold it.”

Riley nodded. “Keep trying. It’ll get easier to summon, easier to hold the more you do it. Alain?”

Alain shared a look with Charmeleon. “Well, Charmeleon and I can pretty much communicate most of the time.”

_‘It’s so great to have Alain understand everything!’_ Charmeleon said.

“It’s a hit and miss with Tepig,” Alain said.

_‘We’ll get it eventually,’_ Tepig said, rubbing her forehead against Alain’s legs.

“Yes, we will,” Alain agreed.

“I haven’t seen any improvements yet,” Iris said glumly.

“Keep trying,” Riley encouraged.

“Yeah, more meditation,” Iris said taking a seat, Axew crawling into her lap to join her. “I’ll do some before bed. You going to join me Alain?”

“Sure,” Alain said, taking a seat next to her.

“A spar for us Ash?” Riley said.

Ash groaned. “Yeah, you just like tossing me around don’t you?”

“All the better for you to learn. If you rather have Lucario hurl Aura Spheres are you, you’re welcome to ask him instead,” Riley said with cheer.

Ash gave him a pained look. “I’ll take sparring with you.”

“Then let us begin,” Riley said, hands flashing blue.

-.-.-

_Alain rushed forward as Charizard came crashing down to the ground. “Charizard!” Alain shouted, rushing towards his injured starter._

_“Weak,” Lysandre said, looming over them. “I have no use for weaklings.” Next to him Mega Gyarados let loose a Hydro Pump toward Charizard, soaking the Fire-Type. The powerful stream of water going dangerously close to Charizard’s tail._

_“Charizard!” Alain shouted, fumbling for his Pokeball. “No! Stop! He’s already down!”_

_“Weaklings are to be disposed,” Lysandre said._

_Gyarados let loose another Hydro Pump._

_“Charizard!”_

Alain woke up. He went fumbling through the dark, gripping Charmeleon’s pokeball and gazing at the red light that signaled his partner was still sleeping inside.

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to settle his racing heart. Tears bubbled in his eyes and Alain swiftly wiped them away before they could fall. He couldn’t fall apart now. Not without waking-

Alain took a look around. The tent was empty save for him and Swablu who continued sleeping unaware. But Ash and Pikachu were gone. Where had they gone?

Alain stepped out of the tent and found Ash and Pikachu sitting by the reignited fire, quietly stroking the flames back to full strength. Iris was with them too, but she was staring out across the water, completely lost in thought.

“Hey Alain,” Ash said wearily. Pikachu was curled up in his lap, snoozing lightly. “I hope we didn't wake you.”

“No, just a bad dream,” Alain said, just as thirdly. He took a seat next to Ash, watching mindless shapes form and dance in the fire. He tried (and failed) to push the thoughts of Lysandre out of his head.

“Seems like it'll be another night for bad dreams,” Ash said.

Yeah. It felt like Alain hadn't been any good sleep in awhile, since he came back in time really.

“Good heavens, what am I going to do with you three.”

Alain turned around to see a sleepy Riley peeking out of his tent.

Ash smiled, a slightly bittersweet version of his normal one. “I don’t know, make us hot cocoa?”

“Only if you three try to sleep after that,” Riley said. “Or do you not want to have a gym battle tomorrow?”

“I doubt being tired would really stop Ash,” Alain said fondly.

“It didn't stop him at Nacrene’s gym,” Iris said, joining the conversation. A small smile tugged on her lips.

Riley hummed. “Well, Ash does have a tendency to boost himself with Aura in the morning.”

Wait. What? Alain looked at Riley, surprised.

Ash blinked. “I do?”

Riley nodded. “You're pulling Aura from your surroundings to boost your energy levels.”

“Oh,” Ash said. “I didn't realize?”

“Thought so,” Riley said. “It is rather remarkable, you're constantly drawing in enough to remain at your best.”

Ash fidgeted.

“So that’s why Ash never feels tired in the morning,” Iris said slowly. “That's just not fair.”

“I agree,” Alain said. That was why Ash was so chipper in the morning? That sounded so useful. “When can we learn that?”

“As soon as you can feel Aura on your own,” Riley said with cheer.

Alright then. No more groggy mornings in the future.

-.-.-

“Alright! Time for my gym battle!” Ash announced.

“Ash!” Burgh waved to them. “I've been waiting.”

Ash vibrated. “Me too!”

“Couldn't stop talking about it all the way across Skyarrow Bridge,” Alain said.

“Even when we dealing with that Gothitelle,” Iris agreed.

“He has been looking forward to it,” Riley said.

“Guys,” Ash groaned.

Burgh laughed. “Well then, let us get started then!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Riley tries to press self-preservation in Ash. We'll see how long it sticks. xD Hey we finally made it to Castelia City! And the nightmares aren't stopping either. Poor kids. 
> 
> Please leave a review on your way out :D

**Author's Note:**

> This fic... this fic has been eating my brain for a week now. If you follow me on tumblr, you know I've been wailing about this fic. It's been destroying me. So I decided to drag you all down with me, lmao. 
> 
> I just want to write a fic about this sappy boy and him falling apart all over the place okay? We're gonna cover a bunch of stuff, fix some stuff that anime insists on doing (like nerfing Ash's experience at the start of every region), nice headcanons, and familiar faces.
> 
> Please leave a review on your way out.


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